ldstephens

Charge me for the product, not for the way I choose to pay

Yesterday, Substack announced they’re enabling in-app purchases on iOS. But there’s a shitty little catch: if you subscribe in the app, you’ll pay more than if you subscribe directly.

Subscriptions from outside the app and via the app’s external link flow are billed as before. For IAP subscriptions, Apple collects a percentage of the payment. To protect your earnings, Substack automatically sets your iOS app price higher so you take home approximately the same amount as a web-based subscription. By default this adjustment is on, but you can turn it off in your settings if you prefer. We’ve also built migration tools so you can export those subscriber relationships, if needed.

When in-app purchase is available, I usually take it. It’s the simplest way for me to manage subscriptions, and I like keeping them all in one place. But if I see the price is higher in the App Store than it is direct, I’m out.

To me, it’s not just annoying, it feels wrong. Apple’s cut is their choice, not mine. Passing that cost on to subscribers crosses a line. Why should users pay more just because they prefer making their purchases through the App Store?