A number of companies including "Fortnite" game developer Epic Games, music streaming service Spotify, and dating app Tinder parent company Match Group announced the formation of alliances to jointly pressure Apple to force the company and other app stores to operate The business changes the market rules.

The non-profit organization named "Coalition For App Fairness" was registered in Washington in August and made its public debut on Thursday. The organization claims that most app stores charge software developers excessive commissions for users’ digital purchases and stifle competition by giving their own products and services an unfair advantage.

The "App Fair Alliance" was established after Epic Games sued Apple and Google to remove "Fortnite" from their respective app stores. However, a spokesperson for the organization said that the organization was not created in response to the Epic Games lawsuit. It is the result of a conversation among developers about their app store experience and shared desire for change.

Although most of the founding members have individually or are fighting with Apple on its App Store policy, the establishment of the "App Fair Alliance" signifies that developers will conduct more coordinated actions to formally protest Apple's rules. The alliance stated that it welcomes "companies of any industry and any size committed to protecting consumer choice, promoting competition, and creating a level playing field for all application and game developers worldwide."

The self-funded organization said in a statement: “The gatekeeper platforms that operate these app stores cannot abuse their control rights and must be supervised to ensure that their actions promote market competition and provide consumers with A fair choice." Other founding members include ProtonMail, the parent company of the ProtonMail email service, the industry organization News Media Europe, and the project management software developer Basecamp.

Apple declined to comment on the creation of the "App Fair Alliance". In addition, the company said on Thursday that it updated its web page to better illustrate the benefits that the app store brings to developers and users. Apple also released new data showing the global coverage of the app store, saying that its "Developer Program" has more than 28 million members worldwide. A Google spokesperson did not respond to reporters' requests for comment.

The application market can now almost provide consumers with a variety of applications, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue each year. App stores have also always been a growing source of revenue for companies such as Apple and Google, as they collect commissions from sales of paid apps, digital subscriptions, and in-app purchases.

The growing importance of app stores has also led to more scrutiny of how they operate. Apple has recently faced public criticism from many large companies such as Microsoft and Facebook. A group representing news publishers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal wrote to Apple last month, expressing their desire to know how to obtain better app store transaction terms. Apple is still being investigated by Congress, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the European Union on antitrust grounds.

Apple is defending itself, saying that its app store commissions are consistent with most other app market charges and provide services that include user safety and privacy.

The fight over app store rules is currently being staged in California federal court. Epic Games sued Apple and Google in August after the two technology giants withdrew "Fortnite," which has 350 million registered users, from their app stores. They took this move because Epic Games added an unauthorized payment system to the game, bypassing their 30% commission for in-app purchases.

The "App Fair Alliance" stated that, among other requirements, the organization hopes to allow app developers to use the payment system and other ancillary services of their choice. Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney (Tim Sweeney) said: "We have joined the App Fair Alliance to defend the basic rights of developers to develop apps and do business directly with customers."

The "App Fair Alliance" hopes to increase its influence on Apple by establishing a unified developer front. However, even if other developers flock to it, Apple still controls the dominant power. When Spotify, Match, Basecamp and other companies protested against Apple’s rules, they still put their apps in the app store and paid Apple. As long as this situation does not change, or there is no legal intervention, it is difficult to see Apple's requirements will be changed, no matter how many developers complain. (Little)

Source: NetEase Technology Report, translated by Google Translate