How Publishers Are Dealing With Apple’s In-App Subscription Policies

paidcontent reporting:

Apple’s deadline for app owners to run content subscriptions through iTunes or not at all may have passed on June 30, but compliance is emerging unevenly - or not at all.

A month after the deadline elapsed, e-book vendors and The Wall Street Journal (NSDQ: NWS) last week became compliant by sending subscription transactions within their own apps or through links to web-based sign-ups and, in Google Books’ case, by exiting the App Store entirely before returning with a compliant app. Publishers on iOS are no longer allowed to sell subscriptions within their apps using the in-app purchasing technology unless they give Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) a 30 percent cut of the transaction, and they also have to allow Apple control the personal data of subscribers.

But others remain in breach and, in one case we heard, have not even yet been asked directly to comply. It all suggests ongoing negotiations between operators and Apple over the thorny issue.
Here’s a brief list of how some major publishers have dealt with the deadline:

• Spotify removed its link to web sign-ups in a July 21 update - “Compliance with new rules for subscription-based apps.”
   
• New York Times apparently fell in to line with a July 5 update - “Subscribing is quick easy with your iTunes account.”
   
• WSJ is ending all transactions inside iOS apps, saying: “We remain concerned that Apple’s own subscription would create a poor experience for our readers, who would not be able to directly manage their WSJ account or to easily access our content across multiple platforms.” But it hasn’t updated its iPad app since June 10th, and continues to promote a link at the bottom of the app to a subscription Web page...
• http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-how-publishers-are-dealing-with-apples-in-app-subscription-policies