Apple removes $99 dev account requirement for first iOS 17 and macOS 14 betas

Re:Apple removes $99 dev account requirement for first iOS 1... by idle_zealot on Wednesday June 07, 2023 @06:22PM (#36234467)

Speaking as someone who regularly uses both iOS and Android (Pixel) phones: The App store and Play store are indistinguishable in terms of app quality. Both are absolutely filled with garbage, and the only way to find anything worthwhile is to search off-platform, then punch your desired app name into the store's search.

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Re:Apple removes $99 dev account requirement for first iOS 1... by Alupis on Wednesday June 07, 2023 @06:46PM (#36234713)

Not to mention the Play Store requires $25 per listed app - removing the "anti-spam" argument some are making.

The issue is paying $99 to even be allowed to think about making an app - plus the arbitrary requirement it must be built using a Mac.

Not all apps are commercial, and not all apps generate revenue, and not all apps are even on the App Store!

It's just an absurd requirement. Stockholm Syndrome, anyone?

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Re:Apple removes $99 dev account requirement for first iOS 1... by lapcat on Wednesday June 07, 2023 @08:21PM (#36235499)

> Not to mention the Play Store requires $25 per listed app

This is also false:

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...

I say "also" because you were also wrong about the Apple Developer Program: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36235313

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Re:Apple removes $99 dev account requirement for first iOS 1... by Alupis on Wednesday June 07, 2023 @08:26PM (#36235533)

Getting nit picky I see. Yes, it does appear I was incorrect about it being a per app fee, which makes this model even better than I had realized.

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Re:Apple removes $99 dev account requirement for first iOS 1... by lapcat on Wednesday June 07, 2023 @08:34PM (#36235606)

> Getting nit picky I see.

How is it nit picky when you were using the nonexistent $25 listing fee as part of an argument? "$25 per listed app - removing the "anti-spam" argument some are making."

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Re:Apple removes $99 dev account requirement for first iOS 1... by nicky0 on Thursday June 08, 2023 @01:34AM (#36237650)

£99 just gets it ability to submit apps to the store. You can still use the developer tools and develop an app for free.

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Re:Apple removes $99 dev account requirement for first iOS 1... by alpaca128 on Wednesday June 07, 2023 @08:11PM (#36235438)

> punch your desired app name into the store's search.

And in the case of Android you might not get the app in the search results because Google decided your phone is not compatible, in which case the Play Store will pretend the app doesn't exist. To this day I don't understand this stupid design, it confuses the hell out of users who don't know this obscure detail, sometimes even misleads them by installing another app that showed up instead of the correct one.

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