Giant tech company Apple is battling fresh accusations of anti-competitive behaviour after it emerged that it has changed the rules on non-fungible token-powered apps and added extra paid-for promotions to its App Store.
According to the company, these latest changes, the most consequential one being the relaxation of the regulation on non-fungible tokens, are part of a number of “updates to the rules” it requires app developers to abide by in order to publish software for iPhones and iPads.
Apps can now sell them directly, Apple says, provided they use in-app purchases to do so, from which Apple takes between 15 and 30 per cent cut. “Apps may use in-app purchase to sell and sell services related to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), such as minting, listing, and transferring and may allow users to view their own NFTs,” the new regulations indicate.
However, the use of the technology is significantly limited in that apps can only support NFTs “provided that NFT ownership does not unlock features or functionality within the app. Apps may allow users to browse NFT collections owned by others, provided that the apps may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase.”
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In addition, the company has issued express warning to developers against offering features outside the in-app purchases. “Digital purchases for content that is experienced or consumed in an app, including buying advertisements to display in the same app (such as sales of ‘boosts’ for posts in a social media app) must use in-app purchase,” the company said.
Financial Conduct Authority, U.K-based tech regulator, has launched an inquiry into Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta’s attempts “to offer retail financial services including payments and insurance.”
Apart from the revision of the regulations, Apple has also changed the store itself by providing new slots for advertising on the homepage. “With a Today tab ad, your app can appear prominently on the front page of the App Store – making it some of the first content users see when they begin their App Store visit,” the company told developers.
