Apple doesn’t allow third-party e-book readers like Google Play Books to offer users direct purchases without taking its cut. But thanks to antitrust regulations, those restrictions are loosening, if just a bit. And so Google is taking advantage of the “reader” exception that allows it to communicate to its customers in its own app. Meaning that Google Play Books can now direct customers on iOS to a website where they can purchase e-books without interference from Apple.
“We are making purchases easier in the Play Books iOS app by introducing the ‘Get book’ button,” Google explains. “This button will take you directly to the Google Play website where you can purchase your selected e-book or audiobook.”
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This change came about because of Epic v. Apple, with the Judge determining that Apple restricting developers from communicating with their own customers was anticompetitive. Apple fought this order repeatedly, but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in January 2024. And so developers could start communicating better pricing to their customers outside of Apple’s App Store.
Apple implemented an App Store rules change that same month that requires developers to submit an entitlement request form, configure the entitlement in Xcode, and then submit their app for review. Developers that wish to take advantage of this change also need to offer in-app purchases in their apps, limiting its appeal.
“With reader apps, people can sign in to their account created outside the app, letting them view and enjoy previously purchased media content or content subscriptions on their Apple device,” the Apple Developer website explains. “If you’d like your reader app to also provide a link to your website where people can create and manage their account … you must not include language that includes the price of items available on the website.” Along with a lot of other rules, of course.
Curious about this, I installed the Google Play Books app on iOS, and it’s the same experience we saw a year ago. Which is to say, terrible.
