According to the latest report, Facebook has found a new way to evade Apple’s 30% commission on in-app transactions, which is commonly known as the “Apple tax”.
On Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta, announced that in the near future, creators on the platform will be able to share custom network links, guiding fans through the use of Facebook’s local charging system pays them the subscription fee.
If fans sign up through a link instead of Apple’s in-app subscription, the creator will keep all the money excluding taxes. Facebook’s subscription feature allows creators to directly charge fans. This feature will be available in 27 countries and can be used by creators who meet certain qualification requirements.
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According to Apple’s App Store regulations, Facebook is in a gray area, but a spokesperson for the latter said that the social network believes its practices have always been allowed on iOS. The App Store currently prohibits iOS apps from providing other payment methods for purchasing digital goods, but in the new payment method, it is the creator who will direct people to the Internet to pay for subscriptions, not the app developer Facebook.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the social network did not cancel the user’s ability to use Apple’s native payment system to register and subscribe to creators, which means that users can still pay through Apple’s App Store.
Zuckerberg said in a blog post: “While we are building the meta-universe, we will also focus on bringing more opportunities for content creators to earn income from their own works. Apple’s The 30% fee makes it more difficult for them to do this, so we are updating the subscription method so that creators can earn more.”
In addition to promising not to collect subscription transaction shares until at least 2023, Facebook will begin to pay creators bonuses. For every new subscriber they add, they will have a bonus of $5 to $20, regardless of whether they are through a custom network link. Still pay through Apple and Google’s systems.
An income calculator launched by the company will show creators on Facebook a breakdown of their income and expenses, including how much they paid to Apple and Google. In addition, starting in December of this year, Facebook creators will be able to download their subscribers’ emails directly from the company.
At present, Apple’s iOS application payment control has become difficult, and Facebook obviously hopes to take advantage of this opportunity. Not long ago, Apple just settled a lawsuit from app developers, agreeing to let them send emails about alternative payment methods directly to customers. Recently, a lawsuit between Apple and the well-known game developer Epic Games has gained people’s attention. After this lawsuit, Apple will face more restrictions.
After the case ended, the judge ordered Apple to allow developers to link to external payment methods and ordered the company to comply by December 9. Apple requested the suspension of enforcement when appealing the ruling, but the judge has not yet ruled on this request.
