Apple-Hey tussle: Basecamp CEO says App Store policy distances devs from customers

The controversial Apple tax is back in the spotlight after an email company Hey publicly criticised App Store policies.

The controversy comes days ahead of WWDC 2020 (Apple)

Basecamp, the company behind the popular Hey email app, is at loggerheads with Apple over the App Store policies. The company CEO Jason Fried in a blog post slammed the Apple tax on in-app purchases and subscription. Fried said that the policies hurt customer service and that the discussion isn't just about the money distribution between a developer and Apple.

Fried in the post elaborated that when Apple forces a developer to provide in-app purchase in order to stay on the App Store, it also restricts the ability to provide customer support.

“It can flat out ruin an interaction, damage your reputation, and it can literally cost you customers. It prevents us from providing exceptional customer service when someone who uses our product needs help,” he wrote.

Fried further said that when someone signs up for an app on the App Store, they automatically become an Apple customer. The money is given to Apple and then the company gives the money to the developer. He said that Apple gains as much as a 30% cut from the process.

He also pointed out that the move also restricts the ability of a developer to provide critical customer support such as partial payment, exemptions, discounts for students or non-profits, and so on.

Friends' blog post comes after Apple doubled down its position of turning down the email app Hey. It also revealed that Apple had decided to reject the Mac version of the application. Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller hinted that the company will not make any changes to its app policy.

“Sitting here today, there's not any changes to the rules that we are considering,” Schiller told Techcrunch. “There are many things that they could do to make the app work within the rules that we have. We would love for them to do that.”