Apple being a typical Megacorp (Patreon)

Hello everyone, I'm here to briefly touch upon the absolute buffoonery going on with Apple and Patreon's billing, which is due to take place in November.

Apparently, Apple threatened to remove Patreon's app from their Store if they don't start using their billing systems, which take a 30% cut of the transaction as a fee. So, starting from November 2024, Patreon will change to this new billing method, potentially impacting the prices of the various tiers for Patreon creators like me.

Funnily enough, if what I heard is correct, Apple is being so asinine with their policy that it's laughably easy to work around, and it's unlikely it will even stick, given it's apparently already being brought to court.

But, just to make sure:

IF YOU ARE:

1. OUTSIDE THE EU

2. USING PATREON FROM THE iOS APP

THEN, starting from November, any NEW membership will likely cost you more due to the Megacorp Fee™. Ongoing memberships, on the other hand, will not be affected.

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIS?

Don't make purchases from the iOS app. Use the browser version instead. Apple doesn't have the authority to place a fee on that version.

WHAT IF WHAT YOU HEARD IS WRONG, AND THIS METHOD IS NOT ENOUGH TO BYPASS THE FEE?

In regards to the prices for new memberships on the Apple Store, Patreon gave me two options:

1. Increase my prices to keep my income the same, in spite of the fee.

2. Keep my prices the same, and reduce my income to compensate for the fee.

I opted for the latter.

Even if I'm wrong, and using the browser version doesn't bypass the fee, you people won't spend an extra dime. At worst, the amount of money I make from your generous donations will be slightly reduced.

So yeah, moral of the story: greed isn't just bad, it's also self-sabotaging.

Hope you have a great day laughing at Apple!

-Mist