Apple has set a new deadline of November 1, 2026 for all Patreon creators to switch from Patreon's legacy billing system to the App Store's in-app purchase system in the Patreon app on the iPhone and iPad, as reported by TechCrunch. Note: This image has been edited to include a pile of cash. Patreon is a platform where creators such as YouTubers can receive payments from fans, which can be a valuable revenue stream alongside ads and sponsorships.
  • FireWire400@lemmy.worldEnglish
    109·
    1 day ago

    I hope Patreon will just switch off the ability to pay through the iOS app, along with a nice fuck you-message to Apple that pops up when you first open the app

    • scarabic@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      3 hours ago

      It reminds me of gas stations that only accept ATM cards and not credit cards, because they don’t want to lose the 3% that credit card companies take per transaction. They’re trying not to lose that 3%, but it will inconvenience some customers and lose them some business. That could easily be worse than 3%.

      So yes Patreon could say “go find a laptop and enter your credit card number in our web page” but there are people who won’t do all that because they expect to be able to pay with one tap. And businesses are on the AppStore because that great payment experience makes it super easy for them to convert customers.

      It’s just not as straightforward as saying “fuck you Apple, I’ll take my business elsewhere.”

    • lost_faith@lemmy.caEnglish
      40·
      24 hours ago

      Last time this came up Patreon simply allowed the creators to charge the commission directly on top of the price for non apple users, or eat the 30% loss. So everyone not using iOS would pay, say, $5/month, iOS users would pay $5+30%. Hope they retain that option.

        • scarabic@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          3 hours ago

          It’s logical but it probably scares away some customers. That’s why the “just eat it” option exists. iOS gives you access to an enormous market and payments are slick and easy. Creators may want $5 but if they can get 30% less from 500% more people, it’s still a good business for them. There’s no strict reason why they must obsess over taking 100% of the sticker price. There are a million examples of businesses who are willing to accept a discount for high volume business.

        • panda_abyss@lemmy.caEnglish
          16·
          23 hours ago

          Is it? Previously this was considered tips

          Now it’s 30% for what? Running a payment gateway and hiding an unsubscribe button deep in the App Store UI.

          Competitively payment gateways charge 1-3%, but when you lock down a platform you can charge 10x that.

        • other_cat@piefed.zipEnglish
          1·
          13 hours ago

          Not that good, the backlash was immense and if I remember right, people were dropping patreon subs over it.

          EDIT: I might also not be remembering right. The thing I’m thinking of was an additional fee regardless of what platform you used to access Patreon.

        • lost_faith@lemmy.caEnglish
          2·
          23 hours ago

          Yeah, I remember cause my Patreon account asked me what I wanted to do about apple trying to steal my money

          p.s. I never push Patreon so have no subs lol

      • applebusch@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        1·
        19 hours ago

        Your math is wrong. If you want the creator to still get $5 with apple stealing 30% you would need to pay ~43% extra.

        $5/0.7 = $7.14

        1/0.7 = 1.42857

        • lost_faith@lemmy.caEnglish
          1·
          18 hours ago

          I don’t remember the math, there was a button to charge apple users more so we got what we were supposed to

    • artyom@piefed.socialEnglish
      6·
      23 hours ago

      It’s against App Store rules to inform your customers they’re being fucked by Apple in any way. If you do, they’ll take it down.

    • lando55@lemmy.zipEnglish
      1·
      22 hours ago

      I was actually curious how this currently works as I’ve never used the Patreon app, so thanks for that. I’m sure it’s a nice convenience to be able to transact through the app, but not 30% passive Apple income levels of nice. It’s too bad they are stuck in their flat-rate commission model, because alienating third-party developers and businesses in this manner will kill their ecosystem.

      Can any current creators on Patreon provide some insight into how the revenue streams break down between the iOS/Android app platforms versus the website? What impact do you foresee if instead of a payment option in the app it simply directs you to the website?