It turns out thatApple ’s new forbiddance on DUI checkpoint appsisn’t the company ’s only recent change to its App Store review rule of thumb : The fellowship has quietly change its policy on in - app subscription , too . AsMac Rumors reports , Apple has formally egest its restrictions on in - app subscription pricing .
Specifically , Section 11.13 of Apple ’s App Store revue guidelines — which was set to go into impression for all App Store publishers by June 30 — formerly read as follow :
Apps can read or toy O.K. message ( cartridge clip , newspaper , record , sound recording , medicine , video ) that is sell outdoors of the app , for which Apple will not encounter any portion of the revenues , provided that the same content is also offered in the app using IAP at the same cost or less than it is offer outside the app . This applies to both purchased capacity and subscription .
Close reading of Apple’s policy suggests that Amazon’s app may need to lose its link to the Kindle Store.
Now , that discussion section ( which has since been bump to 11.14 ) take rather otherwise :
Close reading of Apple ’s insurance suggests that Amazon ’s app may call for to lose its link to the Kindle Store .
With the remotion of the language regarding “ at the same price or less , ” it appears that Apple ’s pricing limitation have gone the means ofGil Amelio . Notably , however , the company is n’t budging on its rule regarding relate off to digital substance sell outside the app . If Apple enforces that rule as written , that may mean some tremendously pop apps still need to change ; Amazon ’s Kindle app , for example , includes a button on its home screen that leads directly to the Kindle Store . The good tidings for Amazon , however , is that the updated policy also eliminates the requisite that content sold outside the app ( like Es - books ) be offer via in - app purchasing as well . Technical limitations would have made it exceding unmanageable — if not unsufferable — for Amazon to add its millions of tocopherol - books into Apple ’s in - app purchasing system .
Close reading of Apple’s policy suggests that Amazon’s app may need to lose its link to the Kindle Store.
Over the past few hebdomad , numerous large magazine publishers have finally set up subscriptions for iOS equipment : Time , Hearst , Condé Nast , and other publisher now all offer various forms of access to their periodicals on the iPad . ( deserving notice : Most of these already - harbinger subscription implementations already “ violated ” Apple ’s now - removed pricing insurance . ) AndiOS 5will put a further focus on such subscription content with its unveiling of Newsstand .
Apple did n’t respond immediately toMacworld ’s asking for comment on the apparent subscription insurance policy modification .
update 6:55 a.m. PT to refine on the rule modification ’s implications .
