[dilly_li]

The news I read yesterday [0] (from Hey's founder?) painted Apple as the obvious villain.

Today's news (the above link) shows a slightly differnet picture.

> "The Hey Email app is marketed as an email app on the App Store, but when users download your app, it does not work," Apple said in a letter to Basecamp CEO Jason Fried on Thursday. "Users cannot use the app to access email or perform any useful function until after they go to the Basecamp website for Hey Email and purchase a license to use the Hey Email app."

Basically Hey doesn't work as a standalone free app. The user has to download it AND subscribe somehow. Apple basically dictates, the developers either 1) offer some Reader-like free features, or 2) pay the Apple tax and build the subscription feature with IAP.

I am not saying the 30% tax is justifiable.

The logic behind Apple's rejection doesn't seem completely unreasonable to me.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23542937

[htunnicliff]

This is how the Netflix app works.

[justrudd]

How so? I'm looking at the Netflix app in the App store right now and it offers in app purchases. I don't have to sign up before using it. I can sign up in the app (I'm assuming based on this screenshot from the App Store - https://imgur.com/a/t6AqwEx). I already have an account. Not going to jump through hoops to try it out.

Edited: added screenshot

[Hamuko]

>I can sign up in the app

You absolutely can't. The first thing you see when you download the app is a info string telling you how you can't sign up inside the app.

https://miro.medium.com/1*-mAqC-14gV7zNvWdn_SNxA.jpeg

[bjtitus]

You need to logout to see the first time user experience.

Those in-app purchases are grandfathered in from older versions of the app so they don't lose those subscribers. They no longer allow new subscriptions through IAP.

[josho]

Replace Hey with Salesforce or any number of SaaS services for other examples of apps that don't work as a standalone free app.