Apple is dropping its cut of most App Store sales to 15 percent

Apple’s cut from most sales on the App Store is dropping to 15 percent in January following increasing pressure.

In an announcement on Wednesday, Apple said its new App Store Small Business Program will enable any developer which earns under $1 million in sales per year to keep more of their revenue.

The previous 30 percent cut Apple took from App Store transactions has come under increased scrutiny over the past year. Apple says the “vast majority” of iOS...

18 November 2020 | App Stores

Developers aren’t happy with Apple’s surprise release of iOS 14

Turns out developers want more of a heads up before a major OS update is pushed to over one and a half billion users.

Apple’s event yesterday was focused on launching shiny new watches and tablets. The only major announcement for developers was the bombshell that iOS 14 is launching today:

https://twitter.com/JPEGuin/status/1305934894036647941

Ok, so granted there’ve been eight public betas of iOS 14. Most developers probably knew a final release was imminent....

16 September 2020 | Developer

Apple developers can soon issue codes for discounted subscriptions

Developers for Apple's increasing number of platforms will soon be able to issue codes for discounted subscriptions.

While we now have macOS, tvOS, watchOS, iOS, and iPadOS… fortunately, we have the App Store to bind them.

Apple has announced a new feature called Offer Codes. The name is pretty self-explanatory, but there are some details to be aware of.

While it's long been possible to issue codes for discounted apps, developers were stuck if they wanted to...

4 September 2020 | App Stores

Apple stops updating games without a government license in China

Apple has suspended game updates in China from developers without a license from the government.

The policy, draconian as it is, has been in place for some time – but rarely enforced.

Apple has faced increasing pressure from Beijing in recent weeks to start enforcing the rule that developers must show proof of a license issued by the government.

Google’s Play Store is not available (officially) in China, meaning Android users in the country typically use...

2 July 2020 | App Stores

Letter criticises App Store policies as EU opens antitrust investigation

A developer has penned an open letter criticising the App Store’s policies just a week after the EU announced it’s launched an antitrust investigation.

In a letter, Basecamp CEO Jason Fried set out his issues with the App Store’s payment policies.

Fried admits that money, specifically the 30 percent cut which Apple takes, is “a large part of the story” – but it’s the “absence of choice and how Apple forcibly inserts themselves between [the] company and...

22 June 2020 | App Stores

iOS 14 will reportedly support on-device Xcode development

Apple's developers look set to be able to use Xcode on iDevices following the release of iOS 14 later this year.

Xcode has only ever been officially supported on Mac. However, according to Jon Prosser, founder of YouTube channel Front Page Tech, that's about to change.

On Monday, Prosser tweeted:

"XCode is present on iOS / iPad OS 14. 

The implications there are HUGE.

Opens the door for 'Pro' applications to come to iPad."

The report is...

21 April 2020 | Developer