① Insiders have denied rumors of choosing between WeChat and iPhone 16. ② Although the rumors of "2 choices" between WeChat and Apple have been refuted, the game of interest between Apple, Tencent, and other companies due to Apple tax can no longer be ignored.
The entanglement between WeChat and Apple has once again intensified. In the past two days, there have been rumors that WeChat may not support iPhone 16, and once the iPhone is upgraded to the iOS 18.2 system, WeChat will not be available. The "Star Daily" reporter learned from insiders that the news is untrue.
At the same time, in response to the above rumors, the technical consultant of Apple China also stated that third-party opinions about whether the iOS system or Apple devices can continue to use WeChat, including whether WeChat can continue to be listed and downloaded in the Apple App Store in the future, need to be discussed and explored between Apple and Tencent to determine the situation thereafter.
Although the rumors of choosing between WeChat and Apple have been refuted, the game of interests between the two can no longer be ignored.
This rumor can be traced back to the "Apple tax" on WeChat Mini Games before. At the second-quarter financial results conference, Tencent publicly admitted for the first time that it is in discussions with Apple about the revenue sharing of WeChat Mini Games.
The revelation was made by Tencent's chief strategy officer, James Mitchell. He said that Tencent is considering providing in-app transaction services through Apple's iOS payment system, and if an agreement is reached in these negotiations, Apple will receive a certain percentage of the revenue.
Earlier, there were reports that Apple has increased pressure on Chinese tech giants such as Tencent and ByteDance, demanding that they stop creators within apps from evading Apple's 30% commission.
In the current iOS ecosystem, the in-app purchase revenue generated by WeChat, Douyin, and other mini games is not integrated with Apple's own payment channels like when downloading game apps from the App Store. And the rapidly developing mini game market in China cannot be ignored by Apple.
Apple hopes to "block" the loophole in in-game payments and prevent developers from directing users to external payment systems.
As a major global software distribution platform, Apple has implemented a policy of charging a 30% share of all in-app transactions in its App Store. While this regulation has been criticized by industry partners, Apple has maintained a strong position due to its robust ecosystem.
It is worth noting that, when it comes to the Apple tax, Apple faces similar disputes with other companies or regions worldwide. For example, music streaming service provider Spotify and game company Epic Games have both had legal disputes with Apple. In addition, the European Union imposed a hefty fine of 1.84 billion euros on Apple in March this year for its dominant position in the music streaming app market, forcing Apple to adjust its "Apple tax" in certain regions.
Later, Apple made a series of adjustments in the European Union region, reducing the two tiers of the Apple tax from the original 30% and 15% (for small and medium-sized developers with annual revenue of 1 million US dollars) to 17% and 10% respectively.
Editor/Lambor
