• Apple rejects Hey calendar app for not allowing non-paying users to do anything within the app.
• Hey had previously faced a similar rejection from Apple for its original iOS app four years ago.
• Hey plans to fight Apple’s decision, but the specific approach is not yet known.
That’s exactly the same marketing plan as Neflix/Amazon prime/HBO Max… whatever. You download a FREE app but can’t do anything with it without a subscription.
Every single one of those apps supports in app payments/subscriptions. You can subscribe directly from the app.
So, no, you don’t.
And if Hey added that, they would be fine.
This is the reason Apple didn’t lose their antitrust cases - they apply their rules pretty uniformly unlike Google which made all sorts of exceptions and side deals.
Last I checked you cannot sub from within the Netflix app.
Have you checked in the actual app? The App Store page often shows legacy info. I know it was possible before, but afaik they changed it some years back.
I just tried and you can’t sign up with the app on IOS, you get error screens. you can’t really do anything except chat with support without logging in, and you can’t log in without having a sub.
The Apple developer terms actually have a specific section for “reader apps” which are primarily meant for consuming media purchased or subscribed to outside of the Apple Store. The in app purchase requirements are relaxed for apps falling in this category. I don’t think a calendar app fits that, though.
You can log in without having a sub. You just need to create an account on the web.
The OP is about not being able to do anything without paying. Not about not being able to do anything without an account.
i just tried to log in with an account that isn’t currently subbed and got the error message that i have shown you, so I disagree with what you are saying
I edited the screenshot to remove the email address i tried to log in with so I didn’t doxx myself but it works fine on the website.
If your account isn’t already existing and subbed you can’t do anything with the ios app.
Maybe that’s a recent change. I know I was able to log in, browse and add to watchlist a few months ago without having an active sub.
That’s not quite correct. At least for Netflix I know that you can browse, add to watchlist etc. without a sub. Just need an account. So you can do something, just not watch anything.