John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 03.31.2022 04:Mar AM EDT

Apple Now Allows ‘Reader Apps’ To Link to Their Sites for Payment and Signup

Apple recently announced it now allows "reader apps" or "content apps" like Netflix and Spotify to redirect users to their respective websites for payment and signup purposes.

The policy change was due to an update of the company's App Store Review guideline 3.1.3(a), in which reader app developers can now request access to the External Link Account Entitlement, per the Apple Developer page.

Apple Updated External Link Account Entitlement Details

According to Apple's notes on the update, the External Link Account Entitlement lets reader apps link to a website their developer owns, allowing users to create or manage their account outside the app.

These reader apps or content apps mentioned are apps that provide one or more digital content types as their primary function. This content includes magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, or video.

The development came after Apple's announcement that it would allow a number of reader apps to redirect users to their respective websites for payments, thereby avoiding the company's 30% commission, per Engadget.

This change is due to Apple following up on its agreement with the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), in which Apple agreed to let reader app developers add a single link to their website due to them not offering in-app digital goods and services for purchase.

However, a separate Engadget article mentioned that developers will still have to request access to the External Link Account Entitlement program before they will be allowed to add in-app links. They are also not allowed to display a notice to users informing them that the price of their items is available on their website because Apple doesn't consider such notices as 'acceptable language,'" per Variety.

An acceptable way to go about this rule is to word the notification into something like "Go to [website] to create or manage your account," according to Apple.

Developers also have to keep in mind that while the change lets them avoid paying a commission to Apple, it would still collect the ones for purchases within the app itself if the service offers any.

On the Heels of Competitors

This change in Apple's policy follows Google's announcement with Spotify over allowing the latter's Android app to provide its subscribers the option of paying using either Google Play's in-app payment system or Spotify's directly. This is similar to what Apple recently did, per a separate Variety article.

Although this agreement dictates that Spotify will still pay fees to the internet company regardless of payment method, the payment itself will be 15% lower than what Google normally collects.

Spotify mentioned in its press release that the agreement will give everyone "the freedom to subscribe and make purchases using the payment option of their choice directly in the Spotify app."

Spotify, along with other similar companies such as Netflix, was among the companies that criticized Apple for its commission amount. It also filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission in 2019 due to Apple's alleged "anti-competitive practices."