On Thursday, Facebook Inc. told Reuters that Apple Inc. rejected its attempt to tell users that the iPhone maker would take a 30 percent cut in revenue in a new online event feature, prompting Facebook to delete the message for users to get the device.
Facebook said Apple cited a rule for the App Store, which prohibits developers from showing users
“irrelevant” content.
On Thursday, Facebook Inc. told Reuters that Apple Inc. rejected its attempt to tell users that the iPhone
maker would take a 30 percent cut in revenue in a new online event feature, prompting Facebook to delete
the message for users to get the device.
Facebook said Apple cited a rule for the App Store, which prohibits developers from showing users
“irrelevant” content.
Facebook earlier this month said it planned to roll out a new tool that would let online influencers and other businesses host paid online events as a way to offset revenue lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company said it had asked Apple to waive the 30% fee the iPhone maker charges for in-app purchases so Facebook could pass on all of the revenue of the event to business owners, but that Apple declined.
Facebook had aimed to provide a notice of Apple’s cut to users, according to mock-ups it released at the time, but Reuters found on Thursday that the promised message was not present on the new events feature.
The social media giant also planned to tell users on Alphabet Inc’s Google Play store it would not collect a fee for ticket sales, but that message was not displayed either, Reuters found.
In publicly criticizing Apple’s App Store commissions, Facebook joined other developers such as “Fortnite” creator Epic Games, which is suing Apple on antitrust allegations over the fees. Facebook is also wrangling with Apple over new privacy rules for iPhones that will require more notifications before tracking users across apps.
Both companies, along with fellow tech giants Alphabet and Amazon, are facing multiple probes over alleged anticompetitive behavior.
