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0 pointslayer82y ago0 comments

Previously you only had to pay the yearly $99 for the developer account, and then could publish free apps to your heart’s content (subject to Apple’s app review process, of course).

0 comments

TylerE2y ago

Right.

So before the cost was $99 for 100% of users, and now it is $99 for 99.9999% of users, and a higher amount for a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction.

Mogzol2y ago

I think you are underestimating how many apps get over 1M downloads. According to [1], the Google Play Store has over 34000 apps with 1M+ installs, I assume the number is similar for the App Store.

So if you have a popular free app, there is a good chance you will hit the 1M install threshold. This change is basically forcing you to monetize your app. Plenty of people can afford losing $99/year for having a free app that isn't monetized. Not many can afford losing several thousand per month.

[1] https://www.androidrank.org/categorystats?category=&price=al...

danaris2y ago

The Core Technology Fee still only applies if you want to either

a) distribute outside the Apple App Store, or

b) pay the lower 17%/10% commission.

If you're already distributing the app for free, then you're not going to care about (b), so this only applies to apps that meet all three of the following criteria:

1. Free

2. Popular enough to significantly breach that 1M install threshold

3. Distributed through an alternative App Store

Anyone who has a popular free app out there right now doesn't need to change anything; they'll continue to have exactly the same expenses they had yesterday.

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zamadatix2y ago

Small fraction of users but a huge fraction of the market share (and revenue generation share). Being that the DMA was specifically targeting these two things it seems quite at odds with "A free app like Chrome must pay us millions if it wants to distribute itself instead of using the legacy terms deemed illegal". If they didn't allow legacy terms it'd have a bit more of a leg to stand for opening the markets, same as if it didn't apply to apps distributed via third party, but the way it is now seems a contentious combination.

Kon-Peki2y ago

Imagine the new attack vector: You have a mildly successful free/very cheap app. Your competitor starts advertising your app, pushing it up over the 1m threshold and forcing you to start charging (or increase your price) to pay the core charge.

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