Okay, the Apple forces ProtonMail to add IAP story is getting a lot of play today, but I don't see why it's anything new.

From the linked article at The Verge:

[ProtonMail CEO Andy] Yen says Apple’s demand came suddenly in 2018. “Out of the blue, one day they said you have to add in-app purchase to stay in the App Store,” he says. “They stumbled upon something in the app that mentioned there were paid plans, they went to the website and saw there was a subscription you could purchase, and then turned around and demanded we add IAP.”

Emphasis mine.

ProtonMail makes money selling email plans. They're not required, and you can get a free one.

If you don't talk about a paid plan in your app, no IAP is required. If you do, Apple has pretty good precedent to require you also offer it as an IAP. You are not allowed, as I understand it, to mention the ability to buy services through another, off-app means.

Look, I don't love that, but at least I get it. It's not inconsistent unless I'm missing something here.

I'm also surprised by this...

“When Apple charges 30 percent extra ... we don’t have a 30 percent margin! It’s very odd to find a business with 30 percent profit margins,” [Yen] explains.

Come off it. You can't say that and have this on your pricing page:

ProtonMail is community software, funded by the community, and open source. We do not show ads or make money by abusing your privacy. Instead, we depend on your support to keep the service running. Revenue from paid accounts is used to further develop ProtonMail and support free users such as democracy activists and dissidents who need privacy but can't necessarily afford it.

70% of a donation, so to speak, is still a donation. If you weren't going to get ANY dough from iOS users -- if they're all free tier users and the app doesn't mention other tiers -- then 70% of something is all found money.

The point being these quotes are from companies who of course want Apple to charge less. This isn't a "I can't eat with this model" type principled stand, afaict. It's a PR tool to put pressure on Apple to give up some revenue. I get why they're doing it, and I don't disagree with their goal, just their methods. Which is to say that I don't think Yen is being especially straight with us here.

Want to use the iOS App Store increase your range? Do it. But understand that has a cost.

My sentiment in that last paragraph reminds me a little of Ballmer talking to Java (What was it, "get on our backs and ride"?) and I'm trending into Rene Ritchie level pro-Apple screed, which scares me, so I'm going to stop now.

Labels: app store, apple, business, hats of money