Is TikTok avoiding Apple’s commissions? It seems so

It’s 2024 and it seems that TikTok has implemented a tactic similar to what Fortnite did in 2020 in its iOS application. Now the question is: Is TikTok infringing Apple’s rules?

Fortnite DOWNLOAD

In 2020, Apple banned the popular video game Fortnite from its sacred and monopolistic App Store. The game’s publisher, Epic Games, tried to avoid paying Apple its 30% commission for in-app purchases of the game’s V-Bucks currency.

In response to Fortnite’s solution, which redirected users outside of the App Store to make purchases, Apple removed the game from the App Store.

Asking customers to buy coins outside of Apple’s system cost Epic Games a ban

Developer David Tesler shared screenshots on Twitter on Tuesday showing that TikTok was urging users to purchase coins through the app, but not through Apple’s in-app purchase system, which would provide the iPhone maker with a 30% commission.

These screenshots show that TikTok is explicitly asking its users to make a purchase through its website, where it then redirects users within the app so they can buy coins.

“Try again by reloading on tiktok.com,” says the TikTok app’s pop-up window that appears in the screenshot: “You can save the service fee and access popular payment methods.”

TikTok users buy these coins to send tips to their favorite creators.

When a user selects a coin purchase option, TikTok informs users that making this purchase through the website will allow them to save around 25% due to a lower third-party service fee.

Fortnite DOWNLOAD

Now, as mentioned earlier, Fortnite was famously banned from the App Store years ago due to similar tactics by Epic Games. However, there have been numerous lawsuits and policy changes regarding Apple’s App Store rules in the almost 4 years since Fortnite was expelled.

Since then, Apple has softened its rules regarding apps that direct users to alternative payment methods. Will Apple dare to take on TikTok?