A mail application that offered a paid service without going through the App Store and was about to be deleted started 'searching for a loophole'

Basecamp, which offers the email service ' HEY ', which refused to update on the App Store in an attempt to offer a paid plan without going through 'in- app purchase', announced that the new update was approved by Apple. However, IT news sites such as The Verge and ZDNet point out that 'the battle between Apple and Basecamp is not over.'

Apple, HEY, and the path forward
https://hey.com/apple/path/

Apple approves Hey email app, but the fight's not over-The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/22/21298552/apple-hey-email-app-approval-rules-basecamp-launch

Apple approves Hey e-mail app, but the fight's not over yet | ZDNet
https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-approves-hey-e-mail-app-but-the-battles-not-over-yet/

HEY, which started its service on June 16, 2020, is a paid mail service that specializes in selecting and sorting mail. Basecamp disliked the specification that '15-30% of sales must be paid to Apple for in-app purchase' and set it so that payment for HEY's paid plan can be done externally.

However, Apple refused to approve the update as a 'violation of the rules' for this specification. 'If you don't fix it, we may remove it from the App Store,' he said.

Basecamp argued against the existence of an exception, saying 'We allow major systems such as Netflix to use a charging system that does not use in-app purchases,' but Apple is Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple. 'The results of the HEY examination are valid and we have no plans to withdraw,' said Philip Schiller, demonstrating that he will not change policy.

Paid apps that need to be purchased without Apple's payment system may be excluded from the App Store-GIGAZINE

Under these circumstances, Basecamp announced that 'a bug fix update was approved by Apple on June 19, 2020'. In this announcement, it is revealed that it is applying for an update that implements 'a charging system that does not go through in-app purchase but can be approved by Apple'.

In dismissing the HEY update, Schiller said, ``One way to get approval is to deliver a free or paid version of the app on the App Store and separately provide an upgraded mail service that works with the app. I will do it.' Following this advice, Basecamp announced that the new update includes 'an option to create an account with a random email address that you can use for free for 14 days'. After 14 days have expired, you will need to visit the HEY website and sign up for billing.

In response to this Basecamp remedy, The Verge 'strictly meets Apple's rules, but explicitly denies the spirit,' ZDNet said, 'almost certainly not what Apple was thinking.' And each comment. He pointed out that Basecamp continues to look for loopholes in the rules while trying to get approval according to precedent.

In addition, the rule that '30% (15% from the next fiscal year) of sales of in-app purchases must be stored in Apple' is being criticized by application developers, vendors, and eventually the House of Representatives. .. Apple has been investigated by the European Commission as 'the App Store and Apple Pay violate antitrust laws,' and the rules for in-app purchases have been a source of controversy.

Criticism focused on Apple that ``30% margin in App Store is outrageous'' and ``narrows user's choice''-GIGAZINE

by Glen Bledsoe