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by lolinder 1756 days ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28323688

Linking this here from the other thread, because the above comment cites the actual court documents, which clear up a lot of confusion I'm seeing on this thread. Apple's concession only applies to communications outside of the app using contact information obtained outside of the app. (Which, yes, was somehow disallowed before.)

If your user signed up through the app? Tough luck.

This "concession" only removes a rule that Apple know it never could have defended in court.
3 comments
askvictor 1756 days ago
I wonder if this will lead to apps not allowing the initial sign-up inside the app, thus potentially reducing usage of AppleID? Although it wouldn't surprise me if Apple were to forbid apps that don't allow in-app sign-up.
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giansegato 1756 days ago
A part from special cases (like bank apps), you have to always allow users to sign up in app. And if you allow to do that through identification providers other than email (eg. Google or FB), you have to provide Apple sign-in too.
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gavanm 1756 days ago
Didn't Apple require that apps must allow for at least some functionality without external signup? I seem to recall that that was an issue for the "Hey" email client.
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taurath 1755 days ago
They do, unless you’re Netflix, or certain “business” apps which they change the definition of every few days.
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spoonjim 1756 days ago
Not sure how they can defend any ban on telling users how to pay outside of the app. If Lina Khan tears Apple a new asshole they will be able to trace it back to the hubris displayed here.
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dustyharddrive 1755 days ago
I could be wrong but I interpreted the contact information mention this way.

AFAIK it intends to disallow transactional emails like signup (welcome to netflix) from pushing third-party IAP:

> Developers cannot use information obtained within the app to target individual users outside of the app ... (such as sending an individual user an email about other purchasing methods ...

But that generic sentence means you can have a bulk mailing list with messages that mention your own payment option:

> Developers can send communications outside of the app to their user base about purchasing methods other than in-app purchase.

(edit: found this comment which explains it more concisely https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28324005)

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