Since 2017, Setapp has provided subscribers with an increasing number of Mac programs for a one-time fee of $9.99 depending on the month, with features for families and businesses. See our full Setapp policy for more details.
In my opinion, Setapp now has 193 apps, but the big news is that the company has announced that it will add iOS apps to the service. Currently, there are 8 apps available: iOS versions of Mac 2Do, Gemini, MindNode, Paste, PDF Search, SQLPro Studio, Taskheat, and Ulysses.
Along with loading iOS apps, Setapp has been moved to a device-based subscription approach. The primary subscription replenishes $9.99 according to the month, but to use the iOS apps, new users will need to charge some other device for an additional $4.99 according to the month. Previously, you could only use Setapp at a time by simply signing in, and it turns out that existing users now have two devices, one of which can be used only for one iOS device. iOS apps haven’t had them yet for family plans, but Setapp is running on them.
As with Setapp apps for Mac, the amount you would save by subscribing through Setapp instead of paying or subscribing through the App Store varies, however, Ulysses only has a $5.99 subscription fee consistent with the month through the App Store. That said, prior to this update, the iOS versions of Ulysses and some other apps were loose for Setapp users: our security editor, Rich Mogull, discovered that Ulysses’ loose activation in the past ended at the end of the month. This update is smart for development and is more expensive for users.
Of course, if you want apps on your iPhone and iPad, it would require two device subscriptions at $4.99 depending on the month, which would make it more difficult to calculate the balance point.
Assuming you have a loose device slot, saving an iOS app via Setapp is easy, though unusual. To get started, launch Setapp on a Mac and access the application you need to install.
By scanning this QR code only the app’s App Store page, from where you can download the popular app from the App Store. There is no special edition at play here. All Setapp iOS apps can be freely downloaded with in-app purchases.
The magic occurs in the next step, where you click Done or move the cursor to “2”. Unlock the full version. This shows the QR code that, once scanned, opens the downloaded app and saves it (and your device, when used for the first time) to your Setapp account. From then on, the app works as if you had purchased a general subscription.
I have shown that the procedure works as directed.
You will be forgiven if this turns out to be an end to Apple’s 30% fee and, in fact, Apple App Store review rules state:
3.1.1 In-app purchase: If you need to unlock features or features within your app (e.g. subscriptions, in-game coins, game levels, access to premium content, or unlock a full version), you’ll need to use the purchase. Apps cannot use their own mechanisms to unlock content or features, such as license keys, augmented truth markers, QR codes, etc. Applications and their metadata cannot include buttons, external links, or other calls-to-action that direct consumers. to non-purchase mechanisms through the app.
However, Setapp insists that his technique is legitimate, responding on Twitter with:
We would never put our suppliers at risk. Therefore, we won Apple’s approval before moving forward. Programs with the built-in Setapp iOS framework have been shown to meet App Store guidelines.
In fact, all iOS programs are in fact cross-platform, they seem to be included in this exception:
3.1.3 (b) Cross-platform services: Applications that are painted on multiple platforms may allow users to access the content, subscriptions, or features they have acquired in their application on other platforms or on their website, by adding consumable parts in cross-platform games, provided those parts are also available as they are purchased in the app. You deserve not to directly target iOS users to use a purchase approach other than buying through the app, and your general communications about other purchasing strategies deserve not to discourage the use of the app acquisition.
Of course, Apple remains the final arbiter of how this paragraph will be interpreted. A domain of fear, the fact that the acquisition is negotiated through Setapp, turns out to be addressed through Setapp that the apps that integrate the Setapp iOS framework comply with the guidelines of the App Store. Another challenge may be the requirement that “these parts also be obtained as they are purchased in the application”. It is unclear how Setapp’s technique of paying developers a proportion of subscription fees based on application usage would result in an acquisition in a comparable one.
When I asked if Setapp planned to load apps only on iOS or if the only iOS apps would be Mac app companions, The reaction of Setapp’s PR manager, Julia Petryk, suggested, albeit ambiguously, that iOS-only apps may be in future Setapp: “Yes, iOS apps will go through the review process through the app and set review team and sign up for Setapp.”
Given Apple’s particular ban (apps can’t use their own mechanisms to unlock content or features, such as license keys, augmented truth markers, QR codes, etc.), it’s hard to believe that Apple will allow Setapp to provide access to iOS. applications only. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the App Store, it’s that Apple reserves the right to interpret or replace regulations as it pleases.
For now, however, we’ll give Setapp problems pushing the barriers of what’s imaginable on the global iOS and providing a service that at least some subscribers will enjoy. If it’s value, it’s still a non-public query based on how many iOS apps you’d use. However, I must say that we appreciate access to the Setapp library of Mac programs on an ongoing basis.
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