Netflix has begun to direct iPhone and iPad users to an external sign-up website.
After Apple started letting “reader apps” use their own sign-up links.
According to 9to5Mac, Netflix has begun redirecting iPhone and iPad customers to an external homepage where they may sign up for the service. The shift comes only months after Apple began allowing “reader” applications, like as Netflix and Spotify, to connect to account sign-up pages on their own websites.
Netflix did not include an external signup link — or even notify users where they might join up — in its iPhone and iPad applications as recently as 2018. Users had to go to Netflix’s website via their web or mobile device to sign up for the service before they could use the app. This was done to comply with Apple’s restrictions, which made it impossible for applications to avoid paying up to 30% commission on in-app purchases and prohibited developers from providing a link to an external sign-up page. The structure made it difficult for new customers who (logically) expected to be able to sign up for Netflix using the app.
But that appears to be changing – 9to5Mac claims that iPhone and iPad users are now seeing an external link within the Netflix app that they can use to join up for the service, and The Verge’s Richard Lawler has also spotted this. Users who click the link see a notification informing them that they are going to “leave the app” and visit an external website. It also states that any transactions made on the external page are not associated with Apple:
The developer “Netflix” will manage any accounts or purchases made outside of this app. Your App Store account, previously saved payment methods, and related functionality such as subscription management and refund requests will be unavailable. Apple is not liable for the privacy or security of any transactions entered through with this developer.
Tapping past the warning takes visitors to a Netflix account sign-up page where they can enter payment information and select a subscription plan. It’s unclear when Netflix began providing this new option, and the company did not react quickly to The Verge’s request for comment. Netflix’s help page now indicates that customers cannot access Netflix’s registration page via the iPhone or iPad app.
Although Apple has begun to ease its regulations for reader applications, developers must still adhere to a stringent set of criteria, such as not including any cost information with a link to external sign-up pages. To gain authorization to include the external connection to their software, developers must additionally submit an “entitlement.”
Apple has been chastised for its policy requiring most developers to utilize the App Store billing system, for which Apple takes a fee. In response to a new South Korean rule, Apple began enabling developers to utilize third-party payment processors in South Korean apps. Following a protracted struggle with the country’s regulator, it has also made certain adjustments to dating applications introduced in the Netherlands.
However, if the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) legislation is passed, Apple will be forced to enable the use of third-party payment systems, side-loading, and third-party app stores. Google has already begun preparing for the new legislation by allowing developers to use a different charging structure for apps delivered in Europe.