First time Netflix subscribers on iOS will no longer be able to pay for the plans via iTunes, as app developers look to thwart paying Apple and Google entry fees for listing their apps.
This development was first spotted by VentureBeat few months back and now it has managed to quote the streaming giant to officially mark the end of in-app billing for Apple users.
Interestingly, the report further adds that the change in payment policy is already live for new users on Netflix, while existing Netflix users can still opt to pay via iTunes, as one of the payment options.
Having said that, if a user cancels his/her plan for a month and then decides to resubscribe, they will also have to rely on other payment modes.
This isn’t the first time when a developer wants to avoid paying 15 percent fees to Apple or Google, which was earlier marked at 30 percent, hurting the revenues made from each download by the owner of the app.
Epic Games in 2018 decided that by opting against launching Fornite on Google Play Store for Android users, it was able to connect with its community and still manage to rake in the moolah.
Speaking to The Verge, Tim Sweeney, chief executive at Epic Games, had said that Google’s 30 percent cut on Play Store isn’t a viable model for his company and they are looking “to have a direct relationship with our customers on all platforms, wherever possible.”
Netflix can’t afford to unlist itself from the app store, where it ranks as one of the most popular apps for iOS users. Which means from now on, you’ll be redirected to Netflix online payment page, where in you could decide the mode of payment for subscribing to the popular streaming platform.
We no longer support iTunes as a method of payment for new members. Existing members, however, can continue to use iTunes as a method of paymentNetflix spokesperson to VentureBeat
The report is quick to point out that Android users were already stripped of the option, as Netflix stopped in-app payment on Google Play Store from May in 2018.
There are no numbers to suggest how many iOS users prescribed to iTunes for Netflix payment but Apple will probably see this as a worrying sign, with more developers likely to push for similar strategy, which will undoubtedly hit Apple or Google’s coffers.
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