App Store

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Google Still Doesn’t Have iOS 14 Privacy Labels

Andrew Orr ·

I’ve been hesitant to keep sharing these stories. At the time this news first appeared I was skeptical, saying that we just got over the holidays so give Google a break. But as the days turn into weeks, this is when it does start to look damning and now it’s time to give Google some heat.

On January 5, Google told TechCrunch that the data would be added to its iOS apps “this week or the next week,” but both this week and the next week have come and gone with no update. It has now been well over a month since Google last updated its apps.

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FTC Settles With App Maker ‘Tapjoy’, Blames Apple in Process

Andrew Orr ·

The FTC has reached a settlement with Tapjoy over claims that is used false advertising offers for in-game rewards that weren’t given to users.

But regulators also said Apple and Google helped create the environment that squeezes mobile gaming industry players and incentivizes them to find other monetization models that may have unsavory consequences for consumers.

Tapjoy runs a platform that lets users complete activities, like signing up for a free trial or downloading and running an app, in exchange for in-game virtual currency. It earns commissions from third-party advertisers who want to entice users to perform these tasks.

I think if a company is willing to do “unsavory things” to people, it probably doesn’t need to be forced into doing so. On Apple’s side, Tapjoy possibly ran afoul of review guideline 3.2.2 (vi).

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Even Facebook Submitted Privacy Labels. How Bad Could Google’s Be?

Andrew Orr ·

The last update for Google’s iOS apps was on December 7, one day before App Store privacy labels went into effect. Is Google delaying the inevitable?

As for why Google might be trying to delay revealing its privacy label information, it’s possible the company saw all the bad press Facebook got when the social media giant was forced to reveal all the ways its apps track users, and the press and social media reactions spooked the company. Facebook Messenger’s privacy labels are horrifyingly long, for example.

For this one I’m going with a modified version of Hanlon’s Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by the holidays.” I haven’t gotten updates for a bunch of other apps, either.

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Apple’s 85/15 Subscription Split Doesn’t Help Developers Much

Andrew Orr ·

Unlike Apple’s 70/30 split for in-app purchases, it offers an 85/15 split for subscriptions from customers that stay subscribed for at least a year. But Jacob Eiting writes how that doesn’t really help developers because of subscriber churn.

No matter how great an app is, subscribers are going to churn. Sometimes it’s because of a credit card expiring or some other billing issue. And sometimes it’s more of a pause, and the user comes back after a few months. But the majority of churn comes from subscribers who, for whatever reason, decide that the app just isn’t worth paying for anymore. If a subscriber churns before the 1-year mark, the developer never sees that 85% split. And even if the user resubscribes, Apple and Google reset the clock if a subscription has lapsed for more than 60 days.

Cool Stuff Found

App Store Connect 1.5 Update Brings New Icon, TestFlight

Andrew Orr ·

The App Store Connect 1.5 update brings a new icon that uses design language from macOS Big Sur. It also lets developers set up internal TestFlight beta testing and more. Release Notes: Add up to 100 members of your team to test beta builds of your app; edit test details for beta builds, view build activity and status, and expire builds; answer required export compliance questions; remove internal testers.