Apple wants to cut back on post “boosts” in social media apps

In a move that antitrust watchdogs will certainly have no problem with at all, this week Apple overhauled its App Store rules to restrict NFTs, cut paid “boosts” on social media posts, and crack down on developers in a few other ways .

The major policy updates, while covering quite a bit, focus on Apple to make it clear to software makers: if you sell things in your app and your app is distributed by the App Store, those sales should be done with the in-app iGiant’s payment system that allows it to take a percentage of these earnings.

Apple also said that any app submitted for inclusion in the App Store must be fully accessible to its review team. What Apple is saying is that features that are locked or otherwise restricted behind a login prompt should be more accessible to Apple’s auditors.

More like Apple’s purchase

Apple is also cracking down on how NFT apps are allowed to operate on the App Store, with Cupertino apparently concerned that it’s losing money on certain apps.

While Apple is fine with apps using its payment system to sell NFTs to people and perform other services like transferring the tokens, it is not content with owning NFTs that unlock features or functionality of an app. Presumably Apple doesn’t want people buying NFTs outside of its purchasing system and then using those tokens to activate stuff in apps – Apple would prefer that you pay for those features in the app through its purchasing system so Cupertino can get its share, which can be up to 30 percent.

Additionally, Apple said that while NFT apps can be used to browse others’ collections, the apps must not contain “calls-to-action that direct customers to purchase mechanisms other than in-app purchase,” Apple said. So, do not refer an NFT buyer to an outside market to make a purchase.

Aside from NFTs, Apple said apps cannot use their own mechanisms to unlock other forms of content or app features, “like license keys, augmented reality markers, QR codes, cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency wallets, etc.” Again, this is to prevent people outside of Cupertino’s walled garden from paying for things that are then used in apps from the App Store.

In terms of social media “boosts” such as For example, someone who pays to get a post out there to a wider audience, Apple said that in order for it to take its share of that revenue, it must purchase it through its payment system.

Apple made some additional changes, including a surprise ban on apps that exploit terrorist attacks, epidemics, and other bad times for profit; a requirement that apps supporting the Matter smart home standard use Apple’s own Matter framework; and a requirement that cryptocurrency exchange apps only work in countries where they have appropriate licenses.

Another seed for the Lament Orchard

Apple seems to have a lot of appetite to expand its in-app payment rules, no matter what regulators, developers or the public think.

The Silicon Valley giant has been widely condemned for its decision not only to reduce 30 percent of in-app purchases, but also to remove Fortnite from the App Store after Epic tried to allow players to buy in-game currency to buy on its website for a lower price than through Cupertino. While Apple largely prevailed in the US case against Epic, the two companies are still arguing in Australian courts.

Other lawsuits have surfaced to question Apple’s ability to restrict in-app purchases to its own backend systems, as in the Netherlands, where it was said it must allow third-party payments in dating apps; and another lawsuit in California, where French publishers, outraged by iGiant’s requirements of not being able to set their own prices for certain items, have filed what they hope will become a class-action lawsuit.

Whether the app review changes will spark more litigation remains to be seen. However, what Apple is adding to its app review process is hard to see as anything other than duplicating a policy that has already attracted bad press and legal trouble. ®