Apple hasn’t been following the App Store guidelines when it comes to its own apps, and this time iOS developer Dave DeLong points out that Apple has once violated its own rules with its new Apple News+.
Hey @apple, your auto-renewing subscription screen is in violation of guideline 3.1.2 and your app should be rejected.
For starters… no links to privacy policy or support page; no info on how to cancel. pic.twitter.com/drvAZRZzqi
— Dave DeLong (@davedelong) 26 March 2019
According to DeLong, Apple’s auto-renewing subscription screen for Apple News+ violated the guidelines because there are’t any “links to privacy policy or support page; no info on how to cancel.”
To further elaborate, the picture above shows the developers’ guidelines made by Apple, and how developers’ auto-renewing subscription screens should look like. Apple failed to include the duration of its free trial, the renewal terms and also a notice to inform users that ”once the free trial is over a payment will be automatically initiated for the next subscription duration, and they can cancel at any time.”
While this seem like pretty standard things that users can easily find out and cancel on their own, the issue focuses on double standards and injustice. Apple has already broken its rules previously when users received unwanted notifications promoting Apple Music and Carpool Karaoke, and yet nothing has been done about it. These incidents only highlight how difficult it is for third-party developers to compete against Apple’s own apps.