Apple Found The Tollbooth Again
Apple’s App Store safety pitch may be real in places, but the Epic payment-link fight keeps making protection look like a cashier window with a privacy badge.
Apple keeps saying the App Store rules protect users, which may even be true when the internet starts selling miracle crypto vitamins through a flashlight app. But in the Epic fight over outside payment links, developer rules, and fees, the safety checkpoint keeps looking suspiciously like a platform toll booth with nicer typography.
Developers argue over links and payment options; ordinary users get the practical poetry of warning screens, subscription detours, and a button that says “agree” while gently walking their lunch money back to the company cashier. Scams exist. Privacy matters. But protection should not require a velvet rope around the cheapest exit, especially when the bouncer is wearing a privacy vest and asking whether you’d like to renew monthly.