Wednesday, May 15, 2024

iOS 17.5 “Fixes” client_id But Breaks App Marketplaces

Mysk:

iPhone users in the EU: DO NOT delete your alternative marketplace apps

iOS 17.5 breaks alternative marketplace app re-installation. MarketplaceKit now generates a different client_id every time it is called. Now there’s no way for alternative marketplace developers to identify users who have already purchased the marketplace app.

Apple addressed a security issue we reported about the way MarketplaceKit handles client_id. The issue is fixed. But now developers are left with no option to identify installs and roughly estimate the Core Technology Fee (CTF) they owe Apple.

Tim Sweeney:

A couple months in, Apple has already broken a basic feature required by competing app stores. 😕

It’s probably only needed because of the Core Technology Fee, which Apple decided to impose.

Scott Miller:

It really seems like Apple is never gonna play nice and will always do whatever they can to sully the user experience with third-party stores. Competing stores will forever have to keep dealing with Apple making third-party stores a less-than-Apple-store experience.

Mysk:

Just installed @Setapp, a very promising alternative marketplace in the EU. BUT it’s unclear if such stores are going to survive a surge of undetected installs due to the lack of device identifiers.

Marketplaces might end up owing Apple loads of unexpected Core Technology Fee.

Previously:

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I don’t understand why the EU is allowing the CTF. It’s “core” to most of the problems with the entire issue. And it’s entirely an invention of Apple’s imagination.

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