Apple no reason to gain from app tip jars

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, more than 45,000 Chinese apps, of which over 15,500 were games, were removed from the Apple App Store from June 13 to June 22, as part of a cleanup to prevent hot patching, which enables software developers to bypass Apple’s vetting process to update users’ apps, offering the possibility for hackers to embed malicious code. Beijing News commented on Friday:

Chinese-made apps were not the direct target. Earlier this month Apple warned iOS developers by email that any code, frameworks or software development kits that can change an app’s behavior or functionality after App Store Review approval must be removed before June 12. And more than 27,000 apps in the United States were also pulled from App Store in June.

However, that is not all. The multinational’s new App Store policies allow tipping to content creators as in-app purchases, of which it keeps 30 percent as commission. Two months ago, China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd was forced to shut down its tipping service on WeChat, a Tencent-backed instant messaging tool, which allowed iPhone users to tip content creators.

External links like WeChat’s tipping service might be a novelty to Apple, which has a strong record of keeping its system and users safe, thanks to the strict App Store review policies. But dedication to security does not justify the company’s move.

The Chinese market now contributes more revenues than any other market to the Apple Store, which might tempt the behemoth to grab a share from the digital tip jars of Chinese app developers. The rise of local rivals such as Huawei is no doubt responsible for the waning sales of Apple products, yet making questionable profits from Chinese app developers without good reason risks backfiring.