[smoldesu]

You can offer safe payment authorization APIs that protect families without also forcing developers to pay you 27% on every microtransaction. One might even call that good OS design, rather than a subtly hostile pattern of funneling users through a contractually-obligated money siphon they have no control over.

[pb7]

Doesn't hurt consumers, doesn't matter to government. Simple as. Apple is allowed to make money off the platform they built. Developers knew the terms before they started developing for it - the terms haven't changed since their inception and match other similar platforms - but each one knows they get more value out of Apple than vice versa. I have no sympathy for them anymore after I have been deleting more and more apps because of dark patterns. Nearly all of my phone use is on either stock apps or apps that are completely unaffected by App Store commissions like Uber, DoorDash, etc so I know who provides me the greater value and it's not companies like Epic.

[thfuran]

Alrighty then, kindly send me money amounting to 25% of your annual expenses. I'm told such fees are harmless.

[pb7]

What have you done for me?

I already send much more than 25% of my annual expenses for the privilege of using the US's platform. I don't even use most of the features but I can't seem to opt out of paying this commission. What gives?

[_piif]

Opting out would mean you would be barred from making use of any public roads. Or having 24/7 access to emergency services. I don't see how either being subject to that or the enforcement of it would be feasible in any measure.

[brookst]

Are you making my app searchable and downloadable on 1B devices? Because hell yeah I’ll take that deal. I paid Apple 30% on about $1M of revenue that would have been less than $10k without them. You think I feel abused?

[oreally]

End of the day you're still at the mercy of apple's algorithms and policies. If one day apple decides your app isn't worth it and the purchases and downloads slow to a crawl, you'll be taking note that the tax you're paying isn't worth it anymore. You'll search around but realize all the platforms do the same thing and regret it.

Competition for small business like yours is a good thing and you should be earning more compared to the big platforms because you bring in the customers, end of story.

[smoldesu]

And without Rockefeller Steel, who knows what would have happened in World War I? It doesn't mean we should tolerate their monopoly though. When people do bad things, we punish them. It doesn't matter how much goodness they've done, that's the rule of law. Apple is abusing market position.

If you're fine with Apple using you, that's okay. You can still pay them 30% going forward, but Apple will eventually have to give up total control of payment processing. It's up to you to decide if it's worth the trouble then.

[ohgodplsno]

Serfs felt that life was great under their lord, they were protected from barbarians. They were given access to a whole city, and could sell their grain here! Their lord was mighty generous, giving them access to such an impressive market. And he built it all on his own!

Well, until the lord decided to come down, take their harvest and claim their lands. Also the lord built the house on the blood and tears of actual, working people. At least serfs could rebel and take down the lord were their lives threatened, but Apple can just ban your account and you'd have HN commenters claiming "iT's ThEiR pLaYgRouNd tHeY bUilT iT".

Having a userbase is not work. Apple deserves to be paid for their hardware, for their software. But for having users and giving you the privilege of letting you show them things ? That is, quite frankly, pathetic.

[brookst]

Are you really complaining that the luxury store is declining to accept a cut of drug dealers’ profits for letting them operate on the doorstep?

Epic can be as skeezy as they want. Apple can be as prudish as they want. I can imagine disliking both, but I just can’t grok cheering for skeeze.