Epic Games and Apple Judge: Adopting Third-Party Payment Methods May Increase Impulse Spending
On Tuesday, US judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney to explain how the fundamental changes he is asking for in the App Store will impact other developers. Today the meeting on this case continued.
Epic says Apple is abusing its position by forcing app developers, which total more than a billion iPhone users, to pay commissions of up to 30% on in-app purchases. If this rule is not followed, the company has the right to remove the application from the store. It is also forbidden to leave any mention of the possibility of paying for additional services in services outside the App Store.
Tim Sweeney says: “Apple has total control over all software for iOS and can block any of them if it wants to. ” All this is also fueled by criticism that users do not have the ability to install software from third-party sources. Epic Games is advocating for changing these rules, hoping to change them.
During the trial, Judge Gonzalez Rogers asked Sweeney if he was familiar with the economics of other applications (dating, taxi, food, hotel, or instant messaging). In response, Sweeney said no.
Judge Rogers continued, “So you have no idea how the fundamental changes you are pushing and want Apple to adopt will affect the rest of the developers. ” She then concluded by stating that, in her opinion, the introduction of payment through third-party sources bypasses the confirmation process using Touch ID or Face ID, and this can encourage users to make rash (impulsive) purchases.
Sweeney argued this with added convenience for customers and fair competition. The meeting continues.
