Match Group, along with Epic Games and Spotify, has become one of the founding members of a new organisation which is challenging the way Apple and Google operate their app stores.
The ‘Coalition for App Fairness’ website suggests 10 new principles that app stores should implement to maintain an open and even playing field.
One of the main ideas is that developers should not be required to pay “unfair, unreasonable or discriminatory fees or revenue shares”, is a clear reference to the 30% commission rates that Apple and Google take from in-app purchases.
Currently, it is mandatory for developers to process user payments through the technology giants. The ‘Coalition for App Fairness’ estimates that Apple has made more than $15 billion in revenue from its tax.
Epic Games’ ‘Fortnite’ was recently removed from both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store after it tried to bypass the system.
Mark Buse, Match Group’s Head of Global Government Relations and Policy, told Bloomberg: “Apple’s IAP forces consumers to pay higher prices by inserting Apple between app developers and their users, leading to customer confusion and dissatisfaction.
“Match Group joins the Coalition in its efforts to ensure everyone is able to enjoy the benefits of a fair app ecosystem.”
The new organisation is also standing up against anti-competitive policies and requests that developer’s data should not be used as a means to compete against them.
The other 10 founding members of the Coalition are: Deezer, SkyDemon, ProtonMail, Blockchain.com, BLIX, News Media Group, Prepear, Basecamp, Tile and the European Publishers Council.
Prepear is a five-person startup that helps users organise recipes and create custom meal plans, and was threatened with a lawsuit last month over claims that its pear logo was too similar to Apple’s.
Visit the ‘Coalition for App Fairness’ website here.