Netflix Permanently Pulls iTunes Billing For New and Returning Users (venturebeat.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Netflix is further distancing itself from Apple's 15% iTunes tax bracket. Earlier this year, the streaming giant enabled iOS users in more than two dozen markets to bypass the iTunes payment method as part of an experiment. The company now tells VentureBeat that it has concluded the experiment and has incorporated the change globally. "We no longer support iTunes as a method of payment for new members," a Netflix spokesperson told VentureBeat. Existing members, however, can continue to use iTunes as a method of payment, the spokesperson added. Additionally, the support rep added that customers who are rejoining Netflix using an iOS device, after having canceled payment for at least one month, also won't be able to use iTunes billing. The move, which will allow Netflix to keep all proceeds from its new paying iPhone and iPad customers, underscores the tension between developers and the marquee distributors of mobile apps -- Apple and Google.

Comments

15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

I expect Netflix will be passing the savings on to their loyal customers then...

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Did Netflix charge an extra 15% to iTunes Netflix subscribers or did they eat the cost of the Apple tax?

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Why should they?

Why should Apple get the 15% instead when they already profit off the hardware significantly and lock all apps to their own store.

Re: 15% discount

[jellomizer]

I expect it is like most credit cards, where they are contractually agreed to charge the same amount with the card and pay the fee as they would do if they paid cash.
I am unsure if some gas stations are breaking the contract, when they offer the Cash Price, or there is a different set of rules for Fuel.

Re: 15% discount

[jellomizer]

Because it doesn't cost Apple money to transfer from your account to an other. There is a big infrastructure behind it with security settings, rules, and risk from fraud...

When you buy the hardware you paid for the hardware, and you actually paid for the software updates and security fixes too, factored in in the price. The locking down to the store, isn't a guarantee revenue from you either, the free apps on the store are available to you for free, at apples loss.

Now 15% for Netflix seems too high. But Apple is a for profit company. They are not going to give too many freebees away, especially when they know their customer is making money off of them.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not a legal contract in the US. The ones I've read say that they may not upcharge for using the credit card. So, the VISA price is the same as the store price, which is the retail price. The difference is subtle, but legally important.

Re: 15% discount

[YouGotTobeKidding]

Actually it is. The CC price is the 'real' price but a company is allowed to offer discounts. Cash discount is entirely legitimate. Before you ask... the big corps dont do it because A) they get a much better deal from visa and mc than smaller companies (usually 1 percent or less). B) it is offset and then some by increased accounting costs C) having more cash at a store means higher theft rates.

Apple charging FIFTEEN fucking percent is usury.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

I expect it is like most credit cards, where they are contractually agreed to charge the same amount with the card

Dodd-Frank specifically prohibits payment card networks "from inhibiting the ability of anyone to provide a discount for payment by cash, checks, debit cards, or credit cards." Some states have laws prohibiting the addition of a surcharge for credit card use, though court decisions are piling up against such laws.

https://www.creditcards.com/cr...
https://www.paymentsjournal.co...

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Gotta love bureaucracy. Call it a fee to use a credit card and it is illegal, but call it a discount to use cash and everything is hunky-dory.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Credit card companies charge a fee of less than 1% to large companies. What those companies do with that money, for the most part is of no consequence to the credit card companies. In affinity networks, credit cards can charge back additional commissions of around 10%, which may again be through an additional party in the affinity chain. Net net to CC in a typical scenario is quite small, around 6-7%

Re: 15% discount

[KixWooder]

Prior to Apple Music streaming existing, you could buy a Spotify subscription via iTunes and it cost either $1 or $2 (I donâ(TM)t recall exactly) more than buying from Spotify directly.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah but people misread this stuff all the time. It is about loaning cash to people so they can buy things. Dodd-Frank doesnâ(TM)t apply to affinity networks because banks donâ(TM)t loan money to sellers only buyers and any affinity commissions are a separate transaction

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Almost every shop that accepts them charges extra when you pay using a credit card. In the past even for normal bank cards there often was an additional charge for small amounts.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Credit card fees are typically around 2%. It's why shops either don't accept them or charge extra. Bank cards are just a few cents and even cash is cheaper to deal with.

Re:15% discount

[gravewax]

Customers already were receiving the saving by not being charged an extra 15% for using iTunes.

Re: 15% discount

[rmdingler]

It varies from Stste to State, so it depends on where you live:

Eleven states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas—and Puerto Rico have laws that prohibit merchants from charging consumers with surcharges on credit card transactions.

Ten states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oklahoma, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming—and Puerto Rico have laws that allow merchants to give discounts to encourage consumers to use forms of payment other than credit or debit cards.

Re: 15% discount

[bob4u2c]

So. . . Netflix should raise its rates by 15%, then offer a 15% discount to those who pay with other means?

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Cash has to be counted - employee time is not free.
Cash is a theft magnet (both from employees and robberies) - safes, cameras & other security measures are not free.
You have to have enough cash on hand to make change. You are constantly getting small denominations and depositing large denominations. Employee time to go to the bank is not free. Armored car delivery (if you are not in an area where it is safe to send employees to the bank) is not free.

Credit cards can reconcile automatically. They deposit in your account directly. There is no risk of theft of credit card receipts. For many businesses, that 2% is a bargain.

Re: 15% discount

[gnasher719]

Prior to Apple Music streaming existing, you could buy a Spotify subscription via iTunes and it cost either $1 or $2 (I donÃ(TM)t recall exactly) more than buying from Spotify directly.

Spotify is of course allowed to have different prices, depending on where you subscribe.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

... Florida... have laws that prohibit merchants from charging consumers with surcharges on credit card transactions.

Well, tell that to my county tax collector office. They charge an additional 2.5% for CC transactions.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Ugh. I absolutely hate the billing system they have had for the past couple years. Every time another billing pop up appears I get tired and i dont even want to read it once. Happy that dismissal of pop up is now a valid action even though you cannot cuit the app

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

I hear the fat IT clerk from the Santa Clara area signed a deal with NetFlix. The content should be made available in 2019!

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Cdreimer left /. after 20 years and posted 100+ videos in 2018. His trolls are still butthurt that he left them alone with APK.

The thing to do for him: post more videos :)

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

In 2014, California suspended its enforcement of their no-surcharge law while it was being challenged. A federal district court ruled in 2015 the law was unconstitutional. The 9th Circuit affirmed that decision in 2018.

In 2015, the 11th Circuit ruled against Florida's no-surcharge law as unconstitutional.

In 2017, the US Supreme Court ruled against New York's no-surcharge law.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

You must live under the rule of a dictator if the CC companies can charge 1% from the smaller vendors. Law limits it to 0.3% over here. Large corporations pay less.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

I find it funny how Creiner still trolls this site by posting rips against himself "vaguely", then follow up posts invoking his own name as if anyone cared about it.

My laughter is at the idiocy of idiots, who think always they are clever, when it is really not that they are undetected, but that they are not worth banning.
#sad

Re: 15% discount

[inking]

Just FYI: cash is considerably more expensive than credit cards once you account for security. A better comparison is accepting Visa and Amex without charging more for the latter.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Bank cards are only a few cents per transaction and carry almost no risk for the merchant. Credit cards may be better than cash, but they really suck compared to a normal bank card payment.

Re: 15% discount

[Anonymous Coward]

Credit cards are still quite risky to the merchant (though indeed not as risky as cash) and are extremely expensive compard to normal bank card payments.

Re: 15% discount

[rmdingler]

Perspective seems to color the interpretation of the law.

News Channel on your side Florida Florida man tells cops he didn't drink while driving, only at stop signs.

Re: 15% discount

[inking]

Absolutely. Credit cards vs. debit cards without additional fees is an equally good comparison.

Why should they?

[jellomizer]

Netflix has a name for itself. 15% is way too much for a service with that much name behind it.
For the small company, paying with iTunes is probably a safer bet, as they can bank their payments behind Apples goodwill (This is an accounting goodwill, not charitable goodwill). Customers know Apple payments and more or less trust it is secure or at least if it goes too wrong a big company can backup the losses. But for Netflix this isn't the case. I have just as much trust giving Netflix my Credit Card number as I do giving it to Apple.
Apple should realize that and probably give them a discount on their fee amount, as the key service they would be offering Netflix would be just payment option convince, which would probably put it in the 5% Territory.

Re: Why should they?

[Anonymous Coward]

First it should be fare across all streaming services. I think in this case the cost of downloading the app, billing fees, integration into the apple tv tv app should only be the cost and a fixed cost per user per duration.

Netflix doesnt keep me signed up all year, so for that they dont have the power with me, so overall i bet their power isnt as strong as most beleive.

Give me a service that contains all movies like we have for music for $10-20 and they are done.

Re:Why should they?

[alvinrod]

15% already makes it seem as though they were getting a discount. Unless Apple changed, I recall the old cut used to be around 30% which was considered pretty standard across platforms like Apple's store. Sure they could go down to 5%, but that just means that everyone else is going to want that same 5% as well and right now it may be better for Apple to lose Netflix entirely than offer even lower rates. If enough companies start to jump ship, I do expect Apple to lower their rate though.

I don't think it ever made sense for Netflix to use iTunes billing to start with though. They already are capable of handling billing for many of their other customers and are large enough where they can achieve effective cost scaling while doing this so Netflix isn't saying anything. I also doubt that not being able to sign-up through the app is going to turn away many (if any) potential customers.

Re: Why should they?

[jellomizer]

I think you are confused. This is paying for the Netflix service with iTunes instead of your credit card. So you pay Apple and Apple Pays Netflix. This is more akin to why some stores may not accept American Express or Discover, because its processing fees are too high.

Integration into Apple TV isn't that big of a thing, Apple Rairly cares about Apple TV, they put just a little bit more effort in it then their Macintosh Lineup.

Re:Why should they?

[Anonymous Coward]

The biggest issue within iOS relative to this change is that, if you do not accept Apple's tax on the digital good/subscription (which is why the percentage is lower; subscriptions get a reduced percentage), then Apple prevents you from using your own billing systems and Apple also blocks your app from telling users how to become subscribers, such as by linking to your website and using a browser.

That's the risk that Netflix has been weighing: do they have the clout to get users to simply -- out of likely frustration -- go to netflix.com via the iOS device's browser and subscribe, or did they need to accept the 15% cut that Apple takes, thereby making it a seamless experience that never has to leave the app or require the user to figure things out themselves.

It sounds like they finally decided that they had the clout. I can only hope that more businesses do this and stop giving into Apple's egregious system (and I say this as an iPhone 8 using and Apple Watch 4 wearing user).

Re:Why should they?

[93 Escort Wagon]

15% already makes it seem as though they were getting a discount. Unless Apple changed, I recall the old cut used to be around 30% which was considered pretty standard across platforms like Apple's store.

A while ago Apple changed their policy - it’s 30% during your app’s first year, then 15% afterward.

Shortly after Apple made that change, Google matched them.

Re: Why should they?

[Anonymous Coward]

Im a short term netflix subscriber. I do wish Apple would have made the subscription signups be anonymous others i too wouldnt be following netflix. I dont want my credit card and contact information at hbo, hulu, showtime, directtv now, playstation vue, etc. It is not at all required.

I hope they bump netflix from the Apple TV TV guide too

Re:Why should they?

[SuperKendall]

Netflix has a name for itself. 15% is way too much for a service with that much name behind it.

I agree that at this point Netflix is so big they probably do not need iTunes...

But I do wonder if they will loose some subscribers as a result, for those who simply do not want to use other billing methods...

I would never have subscribed to HBO for example without iTunes, because of the risk of canceling being too annoying. But even though iTunes obscures where you go to cancel subscriptions, I feel a LOT better paying for something where I don't have to give a company like HBO any of my payment details, and know that canceling will work properly without fuss.

Re:Why should they?

[inking]

The way you subscribe might be an issue. Amazon Video does what Netflix is starting to do and it’s a royal pain in the ass to use their iOS app. If the movie is included into your Prime subscription, you’re fine. If it’s not, you find it, figure out that you have to buy it separately, close the app, go to Safari, open Amazon, find it again among mountains of trash you don’t need, buy it and only then watch it in the app. It’s a ginormous pain in the ass.

Re:Why should they?

[tlhIngan]

I would never have subscribed to HBO for example without iTunes, because of the risk of canceling being too annoying. But even though iTunes obscures where you go to cancel subscriptions, I feel a LOT better paying for something where I don't have to give a company like HBO any of my payment details, and know that canceling will work properly without fuss.

This is actually a very interesting point. And probably a good chance why companies HATE using Apple as the payment processor. Because Apple first hides payment details from them and even goes as far as obfuscating details about you to them (unless you grant Apple permission to share your details with them). In effect, Apple gives them a a user ID and only says "User ID NNN paid for X months service".

If you cancel, Apple may tell them "User ID NNN cancelled service" or nothing at all, simply failing to tell the service that you paid for more months of service.

This has a very nice side effect in that you can cencel service without a ton of BS. None of this "phone us to cancel" or made to sit th rough 15 minutes of retention spiel to cancel. You simply flip the toggle from On to Off and that's it. At the end of the month when your subscription expires, you're cancelled.

And none of this BS where they will covertly charge your card hoping you don't notice, charge you and then make you wait 3 months for a refund, etc. All while having to deal with customer service on hold for an hour each time.

So yeah, subscription services HATE Apple. Not just the 30/15% cut, but because they can't do last-minute attempts at retention, can't make it hard to cancel (yes, California makes it possible to do it online, but I'm sure there are loopholes), and can't do extra billing BS that make it possible to cancel and they still charge you requiring you to go through trouble to get money back. Apple makes it easy as flipping a switch and you're cancelled.

No dealing with anyone, no dealing with extra payments (you told Apple you don't want Apple to charge you for service, so they won't, and thus, Apple won't pay the subscription service). And it takes 30 seconds to do. Might be buried, but it's buried in the settings. Not buried deep inside a provider's set of web pages where "Cancel" means having to find the hidden "No, really, just cancel" link among dozens of "How about some special offers" and "Are you really sure" mazes.

Re: Why should they?

[Anonymous Coward]

The reason Apple requires app payments only thru iTunes in its apps is to reduce fraud and protect their customers. People will by assume any payment coming through an app has some sort of security and if something goes wrong like their cc gets stolen will blame Apple. Allowing shady companies to "charge" customers is a much bigger negative to Apple than Netflix having users go outside of the app because then customers are more likely to understand its Netflix they are dealing with not Apple.

For many small companies the trust factor is worth more than the 15% fee, for companies like Netflix or Amazon not so much.

Re: Why should they?

[Anonymous Coward]

Then buy gift cards. It still doesn't cost 15%

Re: Why should they?

[Anonymous Coward]

Use a gift card? Man, you fan boys are stupid.

Also, HBO is huge and won't be shady and be difficult to stop.

Also, there's a credit card chargeback, even then.

Re: Why should they?

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

Producing a physical TV that doesn't have integrated alternative services is such a winner nowadays, too!

Re: Why should they?

[Anonymous Coward]

Bullshit.. the reason apple does anything is pure greed

Re:Why should they?

[Paradise Pete]

I have just as much trust giving Netflix my Credit Card number as I do giving it to Apple.

I already give it to Apple, so for me I want to avoid giving it to anyone else. Even if Netflix is an equal risk, it still doubles it.

Re:Why should they?

[Paradise Pete]

If the movie is included into your Prime subscription, you’re fine.

Unless you travel outside the US. Then 90% of the titles are "not available in your area," and the only way to know which ones is by actually trying to watch one. Before that moment there's no indication at all. It's close to useless. Ridiculous customer experience.

Re:Why should they?

[inking]

Don’t worry, it gets worse. You know how Amazon accounts are somewhat interoperable from country to country? An American login will work in the U.K. and some other European countries. Now try opening a Japanese account. It will reject your credentials, because your account doesn’t exist, but reject your email address during the sign-up because it is already used by a different account. You literally have to use a different address or add some dots to your current one if you are on Gmail. The international element of Amazon is by far the worst of the FAANGs. At least Apple lets me keep my purchased apps if I moved country, assuming the dev didn’t have the bright idea that their banking app should only be accessible (and thus updateable) from the U.S. store.

Next Week's Story

[nateman1352]

"Apple pulls Netflix from App Store; shifts focus to Apple original paid programming"

Re:Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

Wouldn't it be great if hardware manufacturers and digital content creators were separate businesses?

Re: Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

i heard Apple had a blanket content deal with Netflix unrelated to their subscription fees. I am not sure if that ever went through but the last I heard Apple had not cancelled that deal or made any other announcements about it

Re:Next Week's Story

[CohibaVancouver]

Wouldn't it be great if hardware manufacturers and digital content creators were separate businesses?

Apple's not new to it, though.

Back in the day, a Polaroid Camera was dirt cheap,

What was expensive was the Polaroid film - Because Polaroid wasn't in the camera business - They were in the film business, and you could only put Polaroid film in a Polaroid camera.

Same reason Kodak ignored the digital camera business, even though they held the patents. Kodak was a film company, not a camera company.

Re:Next Week's Story

[jellomizer]

I don't see Apple to be in a position to do something like this, yet.
Netflix brand is synonymous with streaming movies and TV. Dropping Netflix would cause iOS users to switch over to Android systems. Netflix is actually mobile systems killer app.

Re:Next Week's Story

[93 Escort Wagon]

"Apple pulls Netflix from App Store; shifts focus to Apple original paid programming"

Apple’s made plenty of stupid decisions lately... but I can’t see them doing something THAT boneheaded.

Re:Next Week's Story

[jellomizer]

There is in general way too much control by the media companies.

Comcast owns NBC, Comcast owns the Cables that goes to your house that you use for TV and Internet. ATT, Dish TV...
The problem is we just want to pay 1 bill vs. Paying a bill for each channel we want to subscribe to, pay for the cable company which puts them into one feed, paying for the cable infrastructure.

Think of the old dial-up internet. You paid for your ISP, your phone line, and sometimes a separate long distance service, all on separate bills. Now it was annoying for bills, but it was good for the customer, as we could find competition in some areas, or disconnect service we don't want or need.

Re:Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

I came here to say this ^ but take it a little further. This is just two companies holding one another hostage with the ransom for both being paid by the consumer. How much market share would Apple lose if they no longer distributed the NetFlix app from their App Store? Would people switch to Android phones just to watch NetFlix? So if you distribute the App and get nothing for it (or is there a Hosting Fee for Apps?) does it really make sense or should Apple do an "experiment" for a month and drop support for it? And with all of their cash, I'm sure they could license as many, if not more, movies than their competitors for their new "Apple Video" service. Plus they could offer it for less since they wouldn't need to pay themselves the 15% monthly fee!

Re:Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

Please shut the hell up.

HTH, FOAD, HAND

Re:Next Week's Story

[Actually, I do RTFA]

Instead of being separate businesses (which still allows for sweetheart deals), why not just have legally enforced content neutrality.

Re: Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

Credit card companies do not care about content except as it relates to their own business or purchasing. There are no sweetheart deals at all in that scenario

Re:Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

why not just have legally enforced content neutrality.
 
Just what we need, more government dicks further up our asses.
 
Why is it that little bitches like you always look to government to make everything like you want then piss your panties when they start kicking you in the balls? What a fucking fucktard. It's fucking Netflix. If you can't come to terms with this without the threat of law then you're nothing but a fucking cunt.

Re: Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

Hahaha IKR?

Re:Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

No, but it is in the works.

Search for stories about Apple TV and Apple producing content for Apple TV.

Re:Next Week's Story

[GrumpySteen]

I, for one, would love to see what cult-like Orwellian crap Apple would shit out and call original programming for their users to watch.

I'm betting it would give Scientology ads a run for their money.

Re: Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

They are. apple is pretty boneheaded

Re:Next Week's Story

[Kjella]

Instead of being separate businesses (which still allows for sweetheart deals), why not just have legally enforced content neutrality.

Eh? What does that mean, does Netflix have to offer an OS/2 and BeOS version of their client? Does Apple have to make Apple Music work on Android? I really don't see how it would be functionally possible to require all content to be playable on every device/OS. And as far as I know Apple is charging Netflix the same they'd charge any Netflix-like competitor, neutrality just means it's the same terms for everyone.

Re:Next Week's Story

[gnasher719]

"Apple pulls Netflix from App Store; shifts focus to Apple original paid programming"

There are two possibilities: Netflix followed the App Store rules, or they didn't. If they didn't follow the App Store rules (which is unlikely), they will be pulled.

The App Store rules are quite simple: If you pay through the app, you have to pay through the App Store. You cannot have a link in your app that leads you to a different payment method. You can have a website with different payment methods, that's absolutely fine, but you cannot link to it from the app.

If users cannot figure out how to pay Netflix, those users will be lost as customers.

Re:Next Week's Story

[Actually, I do RTFA]

It would mean that Apple couldn't offer better terms to Apple Music, etc. than to Netflix. Fixed public pricing for all content providers.

Re:Next Week's Story

[GrandCow]

Does Apple have to make Apple Music work on Android?

They already have: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.android.music&hl=en_US

Re:Next Week's Story

[squiggleslash]

You're talking about a company that removed headphone jacks from the line of phones it (in part) uses to sell music. Yes, they are dumb enough to remove Netflix...

Re:Next Week's Story

[rtb61]

You are confusing content and consumables. Film by no imaginable way is content, it is a consumable, there is a huge difference between content and consumable, even one negating the other, ie toilet paper and faeces, a fun simile for current Hollywood content, whether film or digital storage, toilet paper or a Japanese style toilet, I suppose.

They are simply competing electronic publishers and even if it cost Netflix more, why feed you competing enemy if you do not absolutely need to. Apple has to choice to compete against Netflix it has to separate it's publishing from it's hardware but if it does that it reduces it's opportunity to sell it's hardware with higher profit margins, the country club price for the digital country club set, nothing wrong with that.

Re:Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

>talking about a company that removed headphone jacks from the line of phones

Yeah, Samsung had to do it to compete as well..

Re: Next Week's Story

[registrations_suck]

Why?

I would find that to be a huge pain in the ass.

Re:Next Week's Story

[drinkypoo]

Apple has to choice to compete against Netflix it has to separate it's publishing from it's hardware but if it does that it reduces it's opportunity to sell it's hardware with higher profit margins

They already have done. You can rent media from Apple on iTunes.

Re: Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem with your theory is...WE ARE ALREADY getting kicked in the balls. And that's with no regulation. So what do you propose? Let the free market sort it out? Yea let's let the 3 companies in charge who control the internet and entertainment decide. That's a great idea. No way would they fuck us. Promise

Re:Next Week's Story

[Anonymous Coward]

its is the possessive. it's is a contraction of it is. You wouldn't put an apostrophe in his or hers, so don't put it in its. Hope this helps in your future writing endeavors.

Netflix as payment processor?

[Anonymous Coward]

If Netflix is smart, they will become a payment processor for all iOS apps, charging 3-5%, and then after doing that that they can go after PayPal. If they do it, Apple will have to fold.

Re: Netflix as payment processor?

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you struggle with math? Apple makes almost all its money on hardware, the income they make on subscription services is likely close to a rounding error, how would this possibly make them fold.

Re: Netflix as payment processor?

[Anonymous Coward]

Citation needed.

Someone needs to sue Apple and Google

[Anonymous Coward]

As the two controlling stakeholders of the entire smartphone market -- now that Palm, BlackBerry, and Microsoft have exited -- they have formed a very clear cartel, whether it's literal or implicit.

There is no competition between the two giants and that benefits them just fine. At least on Google's platform you can bypass their purchasing pipeline if you bypass the Google Play Store (but only if you're big enough to market it yourselves, akin to Fortnite). Another story suggested that Fortnite, on iOS alone, was making $1.3M per day. That means that Apple is making $195K per day, just for receiving an API call that a company like Epic doesn't want to make.

I have always contended that it's anti-competitive and monopolistic of Apple to require vendors to use their purchasing APIs for all digital goods made on iOS. It makes perfect sense for them to want you to use them, and they're terrific for small shops that are getting started. But for Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, and even Spotify to be forced to use them is ridiculous.

They have their own purchasing systems in place and it makes their lives harder to integrate with Apple's just because Apple forces it. So either prices go up to users on the platform (Spotify subscriptions to users foolish enough to use iOS to do it), items are not purchasable on the platform (e.g., Kindle books via the Amazon app), or Apple takes a massive cut (15%!) of something they have nothing to do with.

All of that said, Apple does deserve some way to monetize otherwise "free" apps that are monetizing Apple's iOS userbase, but forcing digital sales through an Apple-made API call is not it. But, at the end of the day, I don't care about that solution because Apple has the money and time to figure it out even if a court were to cut off their revenue line.

Re: Someone needs to sue Apple and Google

[Anonymous Coward]

Ford deserves a way to monetize on the fuel sold to the car owners...

Re: Someone needs to sue Apple and Google

[Anonymous Coward]

Kickbacks for not squeezing that extra 1 mpg adds up quick. Not to mention buying and burying patents for engines that don't use petrol.

Re: Someone needs to sue Apple and Google

[Anonymous Coward]

Why can't content providers put content on Netflix where they are allowed to charge customers through their own mechanisms for their own shows? Isn't it unfair that everyone is forced to use the Netflix payments and the only other option is to not even be on Netflix? There isn't even a way to make side payments!

in A.D. 2018 war was beginning

[Anonymous Coward]

oh look, Black Mirror's interactive movie "Bandersnatch", which is on Netflix, doesn't work on Apple TV. Must be one of them there coincidences.

Google

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple is gouging, there's no doubt about that.. Wondering why the article's author just had to throw Google under the bus too?

Re: Google

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple literally could not care less what google does. As a content provider to Apple, Apple cares very much about Netflix and their success

Re:Google

[Anonymous Coward]

ummm because google gouge as much as Apple when it comes to apps, sometimes more so.

so how long

[Anonymous Coward]

Before Apple bans the app?

Re: so how long

[Anonymous Coward]

Why would they you fucking shithead? They do not ban the Amazon kindle app and Amazon does not use Apple to process payments.

Netflix has been processing payments for 20 years. This is not new for them. Apple could not care less.

Get a clue asshole.

Re: so how long

[Anonymous Coward]

They'll just cripple something on all iPhones that didn't pay for Netflix through Apples iMafia payment system... Making you upgrade to the latest iShit. Why are people falling for this iFuckery?

Re: so how long

[Anonymous Coward]

Because they are apple and that's how they roll.

Re: so how long

[Anonymous Coward]

21 years.

Re:Next Week's Story Error 2503 apple windows bug

[AndrewFlagg]

i just wish apple or microsoft would fix the error 2503 bug that keeps coming back again and again when install apps related to iTunes and plugging in iPhones into Windows 10.. crazy relationship there.. let the bug fest continue...until Windows does not let iTunes install anymore with both 32 and 64 bit drivers simultaneously.

wondering how long

[renegade600]

seeing this happen more and more from different monthly subscription services. wondering how long it will be before apple pull the apps from their store.

Re:wondering how long

[SeaFox]

seeing this happen more and more from different monthly subscription services. wondering how long it will be before apple pull the apps from their store.

It will happen just as soon as Apples decides they don't want those customers anymore.
There are a lot of other, coincidentally cheaper, devices that will display these third-party services just as good an ones made by Apple. Until Apple starts making original content better than Netflix and HBO (guffaw), Apple will be needing them more than they need Apple.

Fuck apple

[Anonymous Coward]

Fuck Apple. Let the sheep bleet all they want but apple is evil.

good bye 20% - 30% discount...

[Anonymous Coward]

I used to load up on discounted iTunes gift cards on Black Friday... some years I could get them 30% off (Walgreens), this year I got only 20% off at Best Buy. Then use them to pay for my Netflix, Apple Music, and iCloud storage.

Great news.

[Anonymous Coward]

Fuck apple. The more companies that distance themselves from apple the better. They are a fucking cancer in the industry.

Apple Music came to Android tablet just this month

[tepples]

That's new. Until this month (December 2018), Apple Music worked on Android phones but was deliberately incompatible with Android tablets. (Source: Engadget)

I donâ(TM)t want Netflix to have access to my

[Anonymous Coward]

Considering that content providers like Disney are opening their own distribution channels this could end badly for Netflix.
And I am not going to subscribe to a lot of streaming providers either.

Re: I donâ(TM)t want Netflix to have access t

[Anonymous Coward]

Credit card information got lost. Donâ(TM)t know how /. managed that.

Re: Apple Music came to Android tablet just this m

[Anonymous Coward]

Or it could just be that there are so few people using Android tablets which are made by the same manufacturer and the same version of android to make it worth the bother to develop and debug it at the current time.

Confuse

[Anonymous Coward]

What? Isn't iTunes the thing causing everyone to not use Apple products? So confused right now.

Re: Apple Music came to Android tablet just this m

[tepples]

Samsung tablets are made by the same manufacturer and run the same version of Android as Samsung phones. The only differences are screen size and inability to dial the PSTN or receive SMS. What "debugging" was needed just to turn off the flag that blocks Google Play Store from offering the application to users of devices with large screens?

Non issue

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a noop. My TV doesnt use an apple os. Who the fuck watches video on teeny tiny screens anyway? If they're THAT stupid, they deserve to pay more.

Re: Non issue

[Anonymous Coward]

If only you had heard of tvOS and AppleTV.

Nonsensical, what "chargeback"

[SuperKendall]

Use a gift card? Man, you fan boys are stupid.

Do feel free to humor me, what the hell do you even mean here. This made zero sense.

Also, HBO is huge and won't be shady and be difficult to stop.

Ask me how I know you have never had cable.

Also, there's a credit card chargeback, even then.

Even when? What on earth are you talking about here?

If I subscribe to HBO on iTunes there is no "chargeback". If I cancel HBO when I choose, it finishes out the month I paid for and then it's over - HBO never had my card so they cannot charge anything, Apple simply stops handing over my money to them at that point.

It is so easy to do in fact I will pretty much never subscribe to anything again without going through iTunes...

Netflix and Amazon get grandfathered in since I subscribed to them before they offered IOS paths for payment (Ok, Amazon never did) and I don't force ever canceling either. Other services I use from time to time and might subscribe for a few months, then decide I don't need it anymore.

Re: Nonsensical, what "chargeback"

[Anonymous Coward]

You are an idiot,