Apple Blocked Facebook Update That Called Out Its App Store Tax

Apple blocked a Facebook update because its new feature called out Apple on the 30% App Store tax the company takes on all in-app purchases.

Apple said the update violated an App Store rule that doesn’t let developers show “irrelevant” information to users. Facebook answered it will continue to work to make this information available to users.

Announced last month, Facebook is introducing a new feature that lets users buy tickets for online events directly through its app. Facebook says that it is not taking any fees from the sales of tickets for online events. The company also explained it asked Apple to waive its App Store fee (Apple’s rules say that purchases of digital content have to use the App Store’s payments system for which Apple takes a 30% cut of the total amount) so all revenue could go to the event organizers. Apple refused.

Now I understand that 30% might feel on the heavy side, but let me ask you this: why would Apple let developers use their platforms for free? Let me also remind you that other event platforms also make money from ticket sales.

In any case, Facebook has now pushed its new feature live through a modified update that no longer shows the message about Apple’s 30% App Store tax. The screenshot below dates from last month when Facebook first announced the new feature. It clearly stated that “Apple takes 30% of this purchase” on the iOS app (left), while nothing of the sort existed on the Android version (right.)

Images: Facebook

However, according to Reuters, both messages have been removed and nothing shows under the “Purchase access” on either apps.

“Now more than ever, we should have the option to help people understand where the money they intend for small businesses actually goes,” Facebook said in a statement to Reuters. “Unfortunately Apple rejected our transparency notice around their 30-percent tax but we are still working to make that information available inside the app experience.”