If TikTok isn’t in enough trouble as it is, you can add angering Apple to the list. TechCrunch is reporting that it appears that the beleaguered social network appears to be trying to dodge App Store fees:
TikTok may be routing around the App Store to save money on commissions. According to new findings, the ByteDance-owned social video app is presenting some of its users with a link to a website for purchasing the coins used for tipping digital creators. Typically, these coins are bought via in-app purchase, which requires a 30% commission paid to Apple.
The feature may be hidden from most users, either by design or because it’s only shown to users in a specific group, like testers or high spenders. In any event, those who do have access to the new option are seeing a screen that encourages them to “recharge” — that is, buy more coins — via tiktok.com. Although these screenshots were discovered within the iOS app by TechCrunch tipster David Tesler, it’s not clear how many TikTok users are seeing them or when or how they’re being shown.
Tesler says the option to purchase via the web was displayed to an account that had previously purchased a large amount of coins.
In some cases, users are shown a screen that includes a message such as “Try recharging on tiktok.com to avoid in-app service fees” followed by a “Try now” link. Other times, they may get a pop-up that says “Try recharging on tiktok.com” with another message about the potential savings. This one reads, “You can save the service fee and get access to popular payment methods,” and is followed by a big, red “Try now” button or a less prominent option that says “Don’t show again.”
That honestly is exactly the sort of thing that Epic Games tried to do which led to it being punted off the App Store, not to mention the Google Play store. If TikTok is truly that stupid to try this, I expect the same result. Which means that they won’t have to worry about the US Government shutting them down. Instead they will have to worry about Apple and presumably Google taking them out globally.
This should be fun to watch.
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This entry was posted on May 1, 2024 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags TikTok. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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TikTok Is Trying To Dodge Apple App Store Fees
If TikTok isn’t in enough trouble as it is, you can add angering Apple to the list. TechCrunch is reporting that it appears that the beleaguered social network appears to be trying to dodge App Store fees:
TikTok may be routing around the App Store to save money on commissions. According to new findings, the ByteDance-owned social video app is presenting some of its users with a link to a website for purchasing the coins used for tipping digital creators. Typically, these coins are bought via in-app purchase, which requires a 30% commission paid to Apple.
The feature may be hidden from most users, either by design or because it’s only shown to users in a specific group, like testers or high spenders. In any event, those who do have access to the new option are seeing a screen that encourages them to “recharge” — that is, buy more coins — via tiktok.com. Although these screenshots were discovered within the iOS app by TechCrunch tipster David Tesler, it’s not clear how many TikTok users are seeing them or when or how they’re being shown.
Tesler says the option to purchase via the web was displayed to an account that had previously purchased a large amount of coins.
In some cases, users are shown a screen that includes a message such as “Try recharging on tiktok.com to avoid in-app service fees” followed by a “Try now” link. Other times, they may get a pop-up that says “Try recharging on tiktok.com” with another message about the potential savings. This one reads, “You can save the service fee and get access to popular payment methods,” and is followed by a big, red “Try now” button or a less prominent option that says “Don’t show again.”
That honestly is exactly the sort of thing that Epic Games tried to do which led to it being punted off the App Store, not to mention the Google Play store. If TikTok is truly that stupid to try this, I expect the same result. Which means that they won’t have to worry about the US Government shutting them down. Instead they will have to worry about Apple and presumably Google taking them out globally.
This should be fun to watch.
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This entry was posted on May 1, 2024 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags TikTok. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.