After refusing to comply with Apple’s new terms for in-app subscription payments, the Financial Times has seen both their iPhone and iPad apps pulled from the App Store.
Apple had set a June 30th deadline for all apps to meet compliance, which was to allow purchases and third-party subscriptions outside of the App Store to be offered at a lower price, according to AppleInsider.
Financial Times says that their biggest gripe with Apple is its control over subscriber data, not the 30 percent cut that Apple claims as their own.
An iTunes spokesperson stated:
“The FT iPad and iPhone apps will no longer be available to new users through iTunes … We are directing readers to the FT‘s new web app available at app.ft.com. iTunes will remain an important channel for new and existing advertising based apps.”
Taking matters a step further, FT launched a HTML-5 web app back in June as a workaround to Apple’s in-app subscription stance. The app can be loaded via Safari on iOS devices.
Other apps such as The Wall Street Journal, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon have all complied with Apple’s new rules. Do you think the Financial Times will ever comply with Apple?