Financial Times App Pulled from App Store Over Subscription Policy

The Financial Times has pulled its self-named app from the App Store for failing to comply with Apple’s in-app subscription policy. The publication wasn’t interested in Apple’s subscription service that took a 30 percent cut and didn’t share subscriber data — a policy that’s been in place for about two months.

Apple’s current in-app subscription policy states:

Apps can read or play approved content (magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, video) that is sold outside of the app, for which Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues, provided that the same content is also offered in the app using IAP at the same price or less than it is offered outside the app. This applies to both purchased content and subscriptions.

The policy prohibits companies from offering an in-app subscription service that bypasses the App Store.

Financial Times on the iPadThe Financial Times app on the iPad

Pulling the iPad app could have an impact on the publication’s bottom line, according to paidContent. 10 percent of FT subscribers came from the iPad last year, which could be upwards of 10,000 users.

Without a native app available for the iPad, FT is now pushing a new mobile Website design.

“The FT iPad and iPhone apps will no longer be available to new users through iTunes,” an FT spokesperson said. “We are directing readers to the FT’s new web app available at app.ft.com.”

The publication hasn’t said whether or not it will require users of its app to switch over to the new Web-based interface. The company is, however, urging subscribers to try the Web version with in-app alerts.