Hulu and Disney Plus Set to Bypass Apple App Store Payments, Here’s Why

Earlier this year, streaming services like Disney Plus implemented stricterpassword-sharing limitationsto encourage more users to sign up for the services. It looks like Hulu and Disney Plus are now cracking down on Apple by blocking sign-ups via the App Store to avoid high App Store fees.

As reported byMacRumorsbased on thisRedditpost, new Hulu and Disney Plus customers are unable to sign-up and make payments through Apple, while the existing customers don’t seem to be affected. The Disney Plus and Hulu apps now direct users to their websites to purchase a subscription.

Apple did the same thing on the Apple TV app for Google TV by removing the ability to buy and rent due to Google’s 30% cut. Apple does have a Video Partner Program for popular streaming services, which reduces the cut Apple takes from 30% to 15%, but 15% is still quite significant for recurring payments.

That said, Disney Plus and Hulu aren’t the first when it comes to blocking Apple signups. Netflix did the same in 2018, and so did Amazon, redirecting users to their websites to buy their services. Back in 2020,Epic sued Applefor removing Fortnite from the App Store when they introduced a payment system that bypassed Apple’s 30% cut.

Google services like YouTube Music are expensive on Apple devices for the same reason. So, the company recommends you purchase subscriptions via its web apps.

While this change adds a dent to the overall user experience, firms would be happy to bring this change because it helps them save a lot. I’d agree, 30% commission from both Apple and Google is quite ludicrous.

Do you think Apple and Google should reduce the commissions? Let us know in the comments below.

Abubakar Mohammed

Abubakar covers Tech on Beebom. Hailing from a Computer Science background, the start of his love for Tech dates back to 2011, when he was gifted a Dell Inspiron 5100. When he’s not covering Tech, you’ll find him binge-watching anime and Tech content on YouTube, hunting heads in competitive FPS games, or exploring Teyvat in Genshin Impact. He has previously worked for leading publications such as Fossbytes, How-To Geek, and Android Police.

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