Apple updates App Store payment rules in concession to developers
Company 08:55, 24-Oct-2021
CGTN

App Store logo on a screen. /CFP
Apple has updated its App Store rules to allow developers to contact users directly about payments, a concession in a legal settlement with companies challenging its tightly controlled marketplace.
According to App Store rules updated Friday, developers can now contact consumers directly about alternative payment methods, bypassing Apple's commission of 15 or 30 percent.
They will be able to ask users for basic information, such as names and e-mail addresses, "as long as this request remains optional," said the iPhone maker.
Apple proposed the changes in August in a legal settlement with small app developers.
But the concession is unlikely to satisfy firms like "Fortnite" developer Epic Games, with which the tech giant has been grappling in a drawn-out dispute over its payments policy.
Epic launched a case aiming to break Apple's grip on the App Store, accusing the iPhone maker of operating a monopoly in its shop for digital goods or services.
In September, a judge ordered Apple to loosen control of its App Store payment options but said Epic had failed to prove that antitrust violations had taken place.
For Epic and others, the ability to redirect users to an out-of-app payment method is not enough; it wants players to be able to pay directly without leaving the game.
Both sides have appealed.
Apple is also facing investigations from U.S. and European authorities that accuse it of abusing its dominant position.
蘋果更新 App Store 支付規則以讓利給開發者
CGTN
Apple 已更新其 App Store 規則，允許開發者直接就付款事宜與使用者聯絡，這是與挑戰其嚴格控制的市場的公司在法律和解中的讓步。
根據週五更新的 App Store 規則，開發人員現在可以直接聯絡消費者瞭解替代支付方式，繞過蘋果公司 15% 或 30% 的佣金。
這家 iPhone 製造商表示，他們將能夠詢問使用者的基本資訊，例如姓名和電子郵件地址，“只要此請求仍然是可選的”。
蘋果公司在 8 月份與小型應用程式開發商的法律和解中提出了這些變更。
但這一讓步不太可能讓“堡壘之夜”開發商 Epic Games 等公司滿意，這家科技巨頭一直在努力解決其支付政策的曠日持久的爭議。
Epic 發起了一項旨在打破 Apple 對 App Store 的控制的案件，指控這家 iPhone 製造商在其數字商品或服務商店中壟斷經營。
9 月，一名法官命令蘋果放鬆對其 App Store 支付選項的控制，但表示 Epic 未能證明違反了反壟斷法。
對於 Epic 和其他公司來說，將使用者重定向到應用外支付方式的能力是不夠的；它希望玩家能夠在不離開遊戲的情況下直接付款。
雙方均已上訴。
蘋果還面臨美國和歐洲當局的調查，指控其濫用其主導地位。
