Apple Store allows NFT sales; Takes his piece of the cake

As part of its new guidelines for App Store, apple has announced that they will allow developers to sell NFTs within apps and games. Despite restrictions and fees apple links to certain types of NFT, this is a big deal because, as DigiDaigaku NFT project founder Gabriel Leydon tweeted, “…this could put an ETH wallet in every mobile game with 1B+ players!”

appleits new NFT policy

Users can now sell and trade NFTs through a number of apps available on Apple App Store. Apps that store or display NFTs may have broken appleits rules before this decision. IN September 2021Gnosis Safe, a crypto wallet that helps users manage and even sell digital assets on Ethereum, had been offering its app on the store for months when it received notice from apple that “Apps that have access, whether it’s just simple storage or the marketplace, are not appropriate for App Store. We suggest you remove this feature from your app.”

Developers can now sell NFTs with appleits approval. However, the company imposes the same monetization structure for NFT sales as it does for others App Store purchase: a 30 percent commission from app developers who earn above 1 million dollars annually through the ‌App Store‌ and 15 percent from smaller sellers. apple states that apps can list, create and transfer NFTs and provide a mechanism for users to view their NFT collections as long as they do not unlock additional game features or functionality within the app. Apps can also promote other NFT offerings as long as they don’t provide external links or buy media that bypasses them appleits payment system.

Although it is one of the largest technology companies in the world Cupertino the giant has done little to embrace blockchain technology, and its products are criticized for being too closed. This new development indicates that, although progress is slow, apple warms up to blockchain technology and its applications.

apple‘s 30% solution remains controversial

apple‘s hefty commission mark has drawn criticism from the global crypto community and drawn contrasts to several other NFT markets. OpenSea and Magic Edens commissions hover around 5 percent; others have kept the transaction cost limit as low as 2.5 percent.

Technical blog Florian Müller called appleits “app tax” on NFT sales “abusive but consistent”, adding that the actual cost to developers can often exceed the 30 percent commission mentioned when referring to App Storeas some geographic regions are subject to fees as high as approximately 35% in addition to other fees applicable to running search ads.

Persistent apple critic, CEO of Epic Games Tim Sweeneyalso tweeted that apple “crushes” another new technology that “could compete with the grotesquely overpriced in-app payment service,” and that appleits exorbitant fees could suffocate the entire NFT sector.

appleits commission policy is the basis of Epic Games’ lawsuit against applewhich has been ongoing since 2020. The video game publisher sued apple to not let it use the payment platform instead App Store’s in-app purchases and to take 30% off.

Challenges with the secondary market

Magical Edenthe largest Solana NFT marketplace, also needed clarification on the fly, rejecting in-app trading support after hearing intense cost claims from apple. “Our app remains available in App Store as a tool that shows off Magical Eden listings and mints, but it has no trade support,” a Magical Eden said the spokesperson.

Secondary NFT sales are also problematic. Magical Eden and OpenSea, for example, typically charge a commission of no more than 5%.

“In this case, if a collector wants to buy an NFT through Magic Eden or the OpenSea app on an iPhone, the seller will only receive 70% of the purchase price,” Blockwork explained. “And the marketplace is unlikely to be interested in making up the difference.”

appleThe decision to allow NFT sales at the standard premium is a significant roadblock for NFT startups. Several startups have complained about the rules apple allegedly imposes, and that the fees make using the App store difficult to justify.

While a court decision last year required it apple allow links to payment channels outside the platform, this may not be relevant for NFT trading because apple does not accept cryptocurrency payments. All item listings are in dollars and payable in fiat. NFT marketplaces face the challenge of building additional infrastructure to support appleits payment system, and NFT dollar prices are constantly changing due to cryptocurrency volatility.

Few blockchains can scale to meet appleits user base

But not all Web3 companies have failed appleits politics. Some see advantages appleits NFT acceptance because the market and Web3 apps available in the store gain the potential to achieve mass adoption. In addition, a 30 percent commission is added apple is better than being banned from App Store in total.

apple can attract hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people to NFT and crypto by validating crypto and NFT. The gaming industry, home to roughly 4 billion online gamers right now, is another sector that can generate big commissions. According to current estimates, fewer than 100,000 people play cryptocurrency games, so integration into iOS apps could bring in thousands or millions of new users.

Conclusion

appleits decision to allow developers to sell NFTs in its App Store can be terrible. apple has traditionally been very protective of how its platforms are used, and this move could be interpreted as a sign that it is starting to loosen restrictions and open up to other types of apps and services. Everything from blockchain-based games to decentralized social networks can fall under this category.

This news has been interpreted as the exploitation of an emerging industry, as well as the green light for Web3 applications to branch out from being the sole province of Android. The truth is that it is both. While this may not be the most significant development in the crypto space, it shows apple believe in the technology and want to help it develop. Ultimately, it remains to be seen how applethe decision will affect the nascent ecosystem of crypto apps and the blockchain industry. For example, games can now find a niche within the expanding ecosystem, with developers encouraged to create more varied games and users willing to invest more time and money in the blockchain world.

This new allowance for NFTs represents a significant step towards digital data decentralization for a company that has long been obsessed with protecting its bottom line. It also shows that apple notice what blockchain offers.

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