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Apple files appeal to delay in-app purchase changes

While Apple may have emerged as the victor in a court battle against Epic Games earlier this year, it didn’t do so unscathed.

Apple was said to be uncompetitive due to the fact that it didn’t allow developers to direct users to alternate payment portals, instead forcing them to use Apple’s systems.

Of course, that’s bad news for Apple and last week it filed a notice of appeal asking for a stay on the injunction which allows developers to add in-app links to other payment methods.

Why does Apple want this injunction delayed, other than because it could affect it’s bottom line? According to the appeal, Apple is simply worried about its users.

“Links and buttons to alternate payment mechanisms are fraught with risk. Users who click on a payment link embedded in an app—particularly one distributed through the curated App Store—will expect to be led to a webpage where they can securely provide their payment information, email address, or other personal information. A developer may thus try take advantage of user trust, carefully cultivated by Apple’s safe and secure platform, and deceive users into providing their payment information to a malicious platform,” wrote Apple’s attorneys.

We have to take a step back here and dissect this a bit. In Apple’s eyes, users are so inept that they are obviously going to be caught out by phishing attacks more often if they chose not to use Apple’s in-app payments. Apple’s argument, however, falls flat when you recognise that phishing attacks happen on every platform and if a malicious app has reached Apple’s App Store, well then Apple needs to rethink it’s authentication methods.

To our mind, the only arguments in Apple’s appeal that have some merit are those which touch on the technical challenges implementing a change such as this would create.

“Apple would have to develop new App Review processes. Apple would have to write and enforce new Guidelines and Apple would have to engineer alternative solutions for collecting its commission— an undertaking the Court acknowledged could be costly,” wrote Apple’s attorneys.

Yes, Apple would be allowed to collect commissions from developers who direct users to other payment methods. How it would do that is unclear.

Even if Apple was willing to move forward with the changes United States District Court judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, outlined in her September ruling that those changes would need to be in effect by 9th December. That’s not an easy undertaking, even for Apple.

A hearing for this appeal is set for 16th November although Apple is looking to move it forward to 2nd November given how important this matter is.

We’ll be watching this matter closely and we’re sure app developers will be as well.

[Via – CNBC]

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