Late yesterday, Apple announced changes to the App Store that close an investigation by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC). As of early 2022, the developers of so-called “reading” apps or reader apps may include a single link to your website. Through it, users will be able to register or manage their account, being one of the great requests of this type of apps.
Goodbye to the “fronton” of the reader apps
Until now, apps that allow you to read digital magazines, newspapers, series, movies, music or books could show a “fronton” as soon as they were downloaded and opened. This happened when the developer preferred not to place a new user registration system in the app itself, bypassing the App Store payment system. Apple allows this type of apps to show the fronton whenever they fall into one of the aforementioned categories, but not in others (Apple requires a minimum of functionality for the rest of the apps).
This forces the user to go to the developer’s website, register and buy the digital good or subscription. Subsequently, you must go to the app and enter the credentials to enjoy the app. With the agreement reached with the JFTC, Apple will change this in early 2022, reaching the entire world.
To do this, Apple will change “the standards and review process to ensure that reading apps continue to have a safe experience in the App Store.” The company is targeting the in-app purchasing system as the safest option, but it will also help developers to protect users through these types of links.
This “fronton” for reading apps has never offered the best user experience, although it did protect them from possible fraud
From Cupertino they point to security and user experience as main concerns. Therefore, only will allow a single link to the web up to the developer’s decision. According to Phil Schiller, an Apple Fellow who oversees the App Store:
Trust in the App Store is everything to us. The focus of the App Store is to always create safe user experiences, while helping them find and use great apps on their favorite devices. We have great respect for the JFTC and we value the work we have done together, as it will help developers of reading apps make it easier for users to sign up and manage their apps and services, while protecting their privacy and maintains your trust.
Spotify, Netflix and Kindle as main beneficiaries
The possibility of redirecting the user to the web to register was one of the requests made by companies such as Spotify, Netflix or Amazon for their Kindle. Although it was not the only claim of these developers, The truth is that it is a difficult change to reject by Apple. Along with removing measures anti-steering announced in the US, both were the weakest fronts in the current assault on the App Store.
The exception of reading apps so that they could show the fronton continued to suffer from defects in the user experience. It is not optimal for the user to find a wall in the app and have to deduce that you need to register to be able to enter. Apple decided to allow them for the security and privacy it entailed, avoiding possible fraud and problems when linking to an external website.
Unlike last week’s agreement, these rules will apply worldwide from 2022
The Cupertino company will allow the inclusion of a single link to an external website, although the details are unknown. Surely, certain standards must be met aimed at preserving security and privacy during registration and banking transaction. But this will add one more layer of review by the App Store, increasing the complexity of the process.
Small developers have different concerns and needs than large development houses. Between them there is an abyss of different interests. Therefore, while a Netflix or Spotify have a strong enough brand For the user to trust an offline transaction, other smaller apps will have no choice but to continue with the IAP system.
There is a very difficult balance between these developers, which Apple must try to maintain. Of course, Apple is making efforts to protect the little ones while meeting some of the demands of the big ones. Otherwise, you risk creating a two-speed App Store.