{"id":29358,"date":"2020-06-25T16:22:59","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T20:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=29358"},"modified":"2020-06-25T16:22:59","modified_gmt":"2020-06-25T20:22:59","slug":"hey-approved-with-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2020\/06\/25\/hey-approved-with-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"HEY Approved With Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marco Arment<\/a>:<\/p>\n

I bet they come to a compromise where neither side has to lose face and “back down”, such as Hey adding some free functionality such that the app can do something without a purchase but also without adding IAP. (Apple’s letter effectively invited them to do this.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Jason Fried<\/a> (also: David Heinemeier Hansson<\/a>, Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, told us the kind of changes he’d love to see us make<\/a>. His primary objection was “You download the app and it doesn’t work, that’s not what we want on the store.”<\/p>

[…]<\/p>

This new version introduces a new free option for the iOS app. Now users can sign up directly in-app for a free, temporary, randomized @hey.com email address that works for 14 days. Think of it like a temporary SIM card you buy when traveling. Or for when you don’t want to give out your real email address, like a short term “for sale” listing, like Craigslist does it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Rory Prior<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

This is not really a great look for either Apple or Hey. If the solution was just ‘add a demo’ (in all but name) then it’s more contorting of the rules to save face. Very much doubt this will become a blanket exception for other developers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

It’s especially weird because the guidelines have always forbidden demos. So why would adding a demo give the app an out for the obligation to use IAP? If you accept Apple’s reading of the guidelines<\/a> for reader apps and business vs. consumer, the proposed changes address none of the violations. Absent the controversy, it seems unlikely<\/a> that this would lead to approval. But what Basecamp has done is clever, because (I guess) you can keep signing up for temporary addresses. Instead of being a time-limited demo for a regular e-mail provider, the spin is that it’s a fully-featured client for a temporary e-mail service.<\/p>\n\n

David Heinemeier Hansson<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Apple has definitively approved HEY in the App Store!! No IAP, no 30% cut, but we’ve opened the door to a free temp address service, and use same app for work accounts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Good for them, but it’s now even less clear what the guidelines mean. I expect that other apps that try to just “add a demo” or unrelated functionality will be rejected, although perhaps FastMail could create a similar randomized e-mail service.<\/p>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n