In App Purchased through Apple/Google or building your own?
Hjalte Niehorster
10 replies
As the Digital Markets Act became affective early march this year. I'm curious to understand who is adapting to this and how it will affect you.
We are building an App, and are thinking of redirecting the user outside of the app to active their payment. Bypassing the App Store fee.
What are your thoughts?
Replies
Joep van den Bogaert@jopie
I think it makes a lot of sense to do that. The fee is just too high.
We already got around it because we are a multi-platform SaaS product, and then they allow for you to use an overarching subscription outside the app store.
For a "purchase once" app it may be some more hassle though, so maybe start with in-app purchases and switch once you gain some traction?
Share
@hhn Yeah you can just point to your website to create an account or upgrade as long as there is a decent explanation for why a subscription is needed and it is multi-platform. It's described somewhere as an exception in the App Store Review Guide (or whatever their rule book is called again). Not sure anymore if B2B only was a requirement though now that I think about it..
@hhn Indeed! Happy to help 😄 if you wanna return the favor, have a look at my launch today (https://www.producthunt.com/post...) 😊
Hey Hjalte, coming from a gaming perspective here. Just a caveat but could be relevant given it's one of the biggest categories on the app stores.
Most game developers I talk to are seriously considering having their own payment to avoid the 30% tax. Some of the biggest ones already have it integrated. I think in the end you have to allow both.
Many users still enjoy the frictionless experience of doing everything through in-app. The UX of getting directed to an external website is still very intrusive at its current stage.
But now if you are looking to raise money in the near future, this should def be a major growth lever to be called out in the story, and investors look favorable to that given it's money going straight to the bottom line.
The thinking may vary depending on the app category, but hope this helps!
@nolan_wang thanks, in gaming I assume a lot is one of purchases, which reduces the friction and barrier to buy. I see the big difference for this between one-offs and subscriptions…
It's always a balancing act between convenience and cost when deciding between using Apple/Google in-app purchases or building your own payment system. Adapting to the Digital Markets Act can have a big impact - curious to see how developers navigate this space! Exciting times ahead for the App ecosystem!
@thestarkster yeah. I’m just curious to see if somebody has navigated the Digital Markets Act and build their own