[drpossum]

Have you actually released this or passed Apple's review process? Soliciting external donations for higher level support gets into a grey area about Apple getting their cut from the apps it distributes. If you haven't registered as a non-profit you are also not doing yourself favors.

I would be extremely upset if I donated and then you never made it to the store/got removed from the store because you didn't consider or do due diligence on this process.

[busymom0]

I don't think soliciting external donations is against Apple's rules as long as those solicitations aren't happening within the app. Don't apps like Spotify give discounts for subscriptions bought outside the app?

[drpossum]

But it's no longer a donation (regardless if that word is used or not) when you offer things like material support of the app in exchange for the money. Then it is actually a support contract. If they are not registered a non-profit in the US, they it's just regular income and they have to pay taxes on it. Because they made a profit.

My point is I don't believe this is a serious project worth giving money to until they can say they have resolved this with Apple.

[busymom0]

I still don't think that is against the rules. As long as the app itself is not telling the users to go outside the app to donate/buy things, Apple can't do anything about it.

[drpossum]

While that may be true Apple's opinion is the only one that matters and the author has not provided transparency about it. People are entitled to that transparency if they are soliciting money.

[busymom0]

Author doesn't need to. They only need to if they put an external donation link in the app.

[9dev]

This shouldn’t really be an issue for EU users, right?

[drpossum]

That should change the calculus for payments, but they

a) still need to affirm their model was deemed acceptable to Apple,

if they're limiting their market to EU users they should

b) say so up front, and

c) limit access to the app and origin of donations by region

because the problems I describe are material for everyone else.

[dleeftink]

I understand this makes complete sense from an app ecology perspective, but if we were to make a similar bulletin for any other community built product..that list might sound a little overbearing.

[drpossum]

I agree it's overbearing, but if that is the case they should consider choosing a different method to distribute their app for which they are trying to solicit my money that they don't find overbearing.

Mixing money and third party app distribution platforms that want a cut is complicated and if this is a serious project it would have considered this.