Re:Donation page "not compliant with Google Play Policies"
by wcarss on Saturday April 10, 2021 @12:32PM
(#26762702)
My knowledge may be out of date, but as of ~2012-2015, Apple generally made free-app-with-paid-subscription services choose between one of the following two options:
1. No sign-up/subscribe/payment buttons in-app, and no links in-app to external payment forms for those purposes, (effectively the app is a convenience for the users you already have) or,
2. Integrate your sign-up/subscription/upgrades available in-app to Apple's systems, and give up a cut for any subscriptions/upgrades that originated via the Apple app. (On this side, you're effectively paying Apple commission for converted leads generated through their app as an advertising channel.)
They included this in part of their review process, and they did not give much leeway. Even linking to your service's website from in-app was risky, if your website was plastered with sign-up/subscribe/upgrade buttons.
Lets say I run a backup service; companies and people pay me to run my backup agent on their desktops, and the backup agent backs up all their important files to my server.
I provide the desktop agents for free. Does it mean that I cannot write an android agent and make it available for free on the Play store?
What about iOS? Can I make an iPhone agent that my (already signed up and paying customers) download from the Apple store?
If my main business is providing a service and using a client program that my customers install to make use of that service, am I simply now allowed to tell my customers "You can use our free app on the Play store"?
How do Banks do this? My bank has an app on the play store, but it's free. I'm definitely paying for the service my bank offers through that app, but Google doesn't seem to mind.