The Coalition for App Fairness, a group of developers targeting what they claim is Apple’s unfair control of the App Store, has more than doubled in size since its formation last month.
According to a new report, the original group of 13 companies — which included the likes of Epic Games and Spotify — has now increased to 40, with another 400 requests to join.
“The outpouring of interest we’ve received has exceeded our expectations,” said Sarah Maxwell, a spokeswoman for the coalition. “As we bring on new members and hear their stories, it’s evident that too many developers have been unable to make their voices heard.”
The coalition has what it refers to as the 10 App Store Principles. These demands include the idea that no developer should have to pay Apple “unfair, unreasonable or discriminatory” fees simply to have their app available on iOS. This would mean allowing devs to give users a way to sideload apps onto their iPhones and iPads. That would serve as an alternative to having to go through the App Store.
“We lost faith in Apple”
One newcomer to the coalition is Yoga app Down Dog. Co-founder Ben Simon said the decision was based on years of challenging interactions with Apple. “There’s a fear that you should stay quiet,” Simon said. “We just lost faith a long time ago that Apple was going to treat us well.”
The App Store has been investigated by politicians in both the U.S. and Europe. Ex-App Store review boss Phil Shoemaker told the congressional antitrust subcommittee that Apple creates “arbitrary” rules it uses as a “weapon” against competitors. The House antitrust report claims Apple wields “monopoly power” over competitors. It remains to be seen what, if any actions, are ultimately taken by congress.
Apple has always maintained that it treats developers fairly. It also says that they should not be able to take advantage of the distribution Apple offers without paying their fair share.
Source: The Hours
