Apple yesterday announced a pilot program called “Conditional Subscription Pricing” that will allow App Store developers to automatically offer discounted subscriptions to users of other apps. The company says that developers will now be able to base their subscriptions from “one developer or two different developers,” so they can not only drive existing customers to other apps, but also You can also compete by offering deals to your subscribers. .
There’s a bit of a catch here. 9to5 mac, the discount is valid only while the customer’s other subscriptions are active. So if you try the app because someone was offering you a great deal, and you decide to cancel your other subscription, it will go back to the regular price. Apple also reportedly told developers that these discounts can be used not only within the app itself, but also for App Store advertising and marketing.
Apple says it will be bringing developers on board over the “coming months,” so it could be a while before the program’s benefits are really visible. As developers start competing with this new tool, it will be interesting to see how it impacts subscriptions on the platform.
At first glance, this feature seems like a benefit to developers, at least insofar as it doesn’t only benefit large developers who can afford to offer such deals. Improving the appeal of the App Store is something Apple will need to continue working on as regulatory pressures increase over the dominance of digital stores. Although the company emerged largely unscathed from its antitrust battle with Epic, fortnite The maker just scored a stunning victory against Google, which could embolden future challenges to iOS App Store lock-in.
In the EU, where Apple will soon allow third-party app stores, simply having a store won’t be enough; Apple will need to make the store attractive to developers and customers as well. That means helping developers get the most return on their efforts and giving them more ways to acquire customers.