蘋果公司決定拒絕新的電子郵件服務iOS應用程式的未來更新。在發給Hey creator Basecamp並由Verge獲得的一封信中，蘋果概述了App Store的規則，稱Hey應用違反了該規則，並建議公司如果Basecamp希望繼續在iOS上更新軟體或在Mac上釋出軟體，應遵守開發者指南。該公司還表示，拒絕在其應用商店中釋出Mac版的應用程式，這與蘋果早些時候承認其根本不應該批准iOS版的Hey應用程式相呼應。

這封信是由蘋果公司的應用程式審查委員會簽署的，但蘋果公司營銷總監席勒（philschiller）在接受今日出版的TechCrunch採訪時也發表了類似的評論。Basecamp公開質疑蘋果的決定，稱不應強迫使用者透過應用內購買註冊Hey，並因此將其每年99美元訂閱費的30%交給蘋果。目前，Hey的最新版本允許您登入該應用程式，但您必須先在其網站上購買該公司服務的訂閱。Hey將於下個月向公眾釋出，但目前對受邀使用者提供****模式。

信中寫道：“HEY Email應用程式在app Store上以電子郵件應用程式的形式銷售，但當用戶下載你的應用程式時，它就不起作用了。”。蘋果引用了三項應用程式商店政策——指南3.1.1和指南3.1.3（a）和3.1.3（b）——概述了公司對大多數應用程式的應用程式內購買的要求，例外情況僅限於Netflix和其他流媒體服務等“閱讀器應用程式”的一部分。

蘋果提供了另一種解決方案：Basecamp可以允許Hey應用程式支援第三方電子郵件提供商，從而為其提供一個免費選項，允許該應用程式的功能與其他電子郵件客戶端類似，其中許多客戶端與Hey沒有類似的商業模式，通常為Gmail等現有電子郵件提供商重新設計收件箱。（Hey每年收取99美元的費用，用於使用其電子郵件服務和訪問@嗨。com電子郵件地址，不支援與其他提供商登入。）

然而，首要的問題並不是蘋果公司在上面概述的具體規則，而是它在應用這些規則時前後不一的歷史。在今年之前，蘋果已經允許眾多具有類似商業模式的應用程式存在於應用商店中，而不要求這些應用程式包含應用內購買選項。亞馬遜和Netflix等大型競爭對手要麼禁止使用者在應用程式中購買訂閱或內容，要麼在某些情況下將使用者引導到瀏覽器上購買內容，該公司還對這些競爭對手進行了著名的豁免。

本週早些時候，隨著Hey的正式釋出，這場爭論開始了，它引發了一些重要的問題，比如蘋果對App Store的管理，以及iPhone**商是否透過其規定的30%的降幅和不一致的應用程式，對來自第三方開發者的競爭服務行使反競爭優勢應用商店規則。

這場鬥爭發生在蘋果公司岌岌可危的時刻。該公司將於下週以虛擬形式舉辦年度開發者大會。在Spotify和其他公司就蘋果30%的“蘋果稅”以及蘋果應用商店流程可能對競爭市場構成的威脅向蘋果提出投訴後，該公司目前還面臨著歐盟發起的兩項反壟斷調查。

繼Basecamp聯合創始人兼首席技術官David Heinemeier Hansson一系列直言不諱的推特和採訪後，Heinemeier Hansson稱蘋果為“黑幫”，遊戲開發商Epic和Tinder母公司Match Group等其他公司也紛紛出面支援Hey。

今天早些時候，眾議院反托拉斯小組委員會主席、眾議員大衛·西西林（D-RI）對《邊緣報》說，“由於蘋果的市場力量，它正在收取過高的租金— 基本上是高速公路搶劫— 強迫人們支付30%的費用或者拒絕進入他們的市場。” 他接著說，“它’它壓垮了那些能夠’靠這些錢是活不下去的。如果這個市場有真正的競爭，這是不可能的’不會發生的。”

蘋果信函的最後一段承認，Basecamp在App Store中提供了企業應用程式，這是目前App Store規則的另一個明顯例外，除了Hey的iOS應用程式之外，它不提供應用內購買或註冊選項。蘋果公司說，它這樣做沒有采取任何金錢的方式，聽起來不祥，它要求感謝免費搭車。但至關重要的是，蘋果似乎將Hey區分為一款似乎不符合應用內購買豁免標準的消費者電子郵件應用程式，儘管有證據表明其他應用程式（包括類似的電子郵件提供商，如Newton）在過去也做過同樣的事。

“據我們瞭解，Basecamp多年來為App Store開發了許多應用程式和許多後續版本，App Store已經向iOS使用者分發了數百萬個這些應用程式。信中寫道：“這些應用不提供應用內購買服務，因此，在過去8年裡，它們沒有為應用商店貢獻任何收入。”。“我們很高興繼續支援您的應用程式業務，併為您提供免費服務的解決方案—只要您遵守並尊重所有開發人員必須遵守的app Store審查準則和條款。”

信的全文如下：

Hello Jason,

We are writing to let you know the appeal results for your app, HEY Email.

The App Review Board evaluated your app and determined that the rejection was valid. Your app does not comply with the App Store Review Guidelines detailed below. As you are aware, this is the reason your Hey Email app was rejected when it was submitted to the Mac App Store on June 11, 2020.

The HEY Email app is marketed as an email app on the App Store, but when users download your app, it does not work. Users cannot use the app to access email or perform any useful function until after they go to the Basecamp website for Hey Email and purchase a license to use the HEY Email app. This violates the following App Store Review Guidelines:

Guideline 3.1.1 - Business - Payments - In-App Purchase

If you want to unlock features or functionality within your app, you must use in-app purchase. Your app requires customers to purchase content, subscripti***, or features outside of the app, but those items are not available as in-app purchases within the app as required by the App Store Review Guidelines.

Guideline 3.1.3(a) - Business - Payments - “Reader” Apps

Reader apps may allow users to access previously purchased content and content subscripti***. Your mail app is not one of the content types allowed under this guideline for “Reader” apps (specifically: magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, video, access to professional databases, VOIP, cloud storage, or approved services such as classroom management apps). Therefore, customers must be given the option to purchase access to features or functionality in your app using in-app purchase.

Guideline 3.1.3(b) - Business - Payments - Multiplatform Services

Apps that operate services across multiple platforms may allow users to access content, subscripti***, or features they have acquired in your app on other platforms or on your website, provided those items are also available as in-app purchases within the app. Your HEY Email app does not offer access to content, subscripti***, or features as in-app purchases within the app. In fact, the app does not function as an email app or for any purpose until the user goes to the Basecamp Hey Email website to start a free trial or purchase a separate license to use the app for its intended purpose.

Next Steps

To resolve this issue, please revise your app such that it does not violate any of the App Store Review Guidelines and terms.

There are a number of ways that you could revise your app or service to adhere to the App Store Review Guidelines. Customers who have previously purchased access to content, subscripti***, or features elsewhere may continue to access these items in your app, as long as new iOS customers are given the option to purchase access using in-app purchase as required by the App Store Review Guidelines.

If you would prefer not to offer users the option of in-app purchases, you could c***ider having the app function as marketed — an email client that works with standard IMAP and POP email accounts, where customers can optionally configure the Hey Email service as their preferred email service provider. This would allow the app to function as an email client without requiring an additional payment to use its features and functionality. Under this approach, what you sell on your website is clearly an email service separate from the function of your app as distributed on the App Store.

We are here as a resource as you explore these or other ideas to bring the Hey Email app within compliance of the App Store Review Guidelines and terms.

Thank you for being an iOS app developer. We understand that Basecamp has developed a number of apps and many subsequent versi*** for the App Store for many years, and that the App Store has distributed milli*** of these apps to iOS users. These apps do not offer in-app purchase — and, c***equently, have not contributed any revenue to the App Store over the last eight years. We are happy to continue to support you in your app business and offer you the soluti*** to provide your services for free — so long as you follow and respect the same App Store Review Guidelines and terms that all developers must follow.

We hope to assist you in offering the Hey Email app on the App Store.

Sincerely, App Review Board