Skip to main content

Apple reverses hated subscription pricing policy

App_Store
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple has quietly revised its In-App Subscriptions pricing guidelines, reports MacRumors. The changes are sure to be a hit with app publishers, as the policy no longer includes the loathed requirement that they offer the “same price or less than it is offered outside the app.” In fact, Apple has done away with pricing guidelines entirely.

While Apple has successfully convinced a significant number of magazine and newspaper publishers to sign on to the subscription plan — a testament of the importance of the iPad line for the publishing industry — the limits on pricing were, by far, the most hated part. This is because the stipulations required publishers to offer App Store customers the lowest price, regardless of whether the publication wanted to make that particular deal or not. The constricting policy caused the Financial Times to drop its iOS app entirely this week, and replace it with a web app, which gave them significantly more control over pricing. Whether that played any part in Apple’s decision to cut down the subscriptions rules remains unclear (and also unlikely).

This is how the clause in the subscription policy read prior to the change. (The parts that changed have been bolded):

11.13 Apps can read or play approved content (magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, video) that is sold outside of the app, for which Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues, provided that the same content is also offered in the app using IAP at the same price or less than it is offered outside the app. This applies to both purchased content and subscriptions.

And this is how it reads now:

11.14 Apps can read or play approved content (specifically magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video) that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app, as long as there is no button or external link in the app to purchase the approved content. Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues for approved content that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app.

So, while this keeps app makes from installing links to outside paid content, it also resolves the ambiguities in the previous version, which made it unclear whether services like Netflix needed to comply with the policy. Now, it is obvious that they do not.

This significant change should make publishers happy, and likely remove the barrier that has kept some publications off iOS.

Editors' Recommendations

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
This hidden Apple Watch feature is better than I could have imagined
FaceTime call alert.

Apple Watch getting FaceTime caller notification Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

A few days ago, I bravely admitted to my colleagues that I rely on an Android tablet for my daily work. “Nadeem, has anyone told you about PCs,” one of my editors replied. “Good god, man, who hurt you?” remarked another senior editor. They’re not wrong, while I remain as shameless as ever in my experimental preference for work machines.

Read more
Best Apple Deals: MacBooks, AirPods, iPads, iMacs, AirTags and more
dell xps 15 vs macbook pro 16 apple ry 14 1200x9999

Pretty much all Apple products are some of the best-in-class for their respective type of tech. However, you do pay for the privilege with many devices like iPads or MacBooks costing a little more than non-Apple variants. That's why it's so useful to find great Apple deals like the ones below. We've picked out some of the best ways to save substantially on highly sought after Apple products from accessories to AirPods and more. Take a look below at some of our favorite Apple deals right now.
AirTags (4-pack) -- $89, was $99

If you worry about misplacing items, you need Apple AirTags. With a simple one-tap setup, your iPhone or iPad is instantly connected to an AirTag so that you can always use find items via the Find My app. That could be your car keys, your bag, or anything else that you can fit or slip an AirTag into. If you misplace something, you can simply put the AirTag into Lost Mode to be notified when it's detected in the Find My network helping you pin it down. You can also play a sound through the built-in speaker if you know it's nearby but you're not sure if it's worth moving the couch to find it.

Read more
I made myself try a 14.5-inch tablet — and it didn’t go very well
Lenovo Tab Extreme showing Chrome.

Everyone has a tablet these days — whether it’s an Apple iPad or an Android tablet from Samsung, Lenovo, or even OnePlus. Tablets are great devices, as they let you be productive or stay entertained when a smartphone or a laptop just won’t do. And in some ways, they are easier to carry around than a full-on laptop.

But I think there’s a limit. Tablets come in all sorts of sizes, from the super-portable iPad mini to large behemoths like the Lenovo Tab Extreme and Samsung’s Galaxy S8 Ultra.

Read more