Apple Facing Antitrust Probe Over 'Sign in With Apple' and Other Developer Complaints

[MacRumors]

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating complaints from developers over Apple's "Sign in with Apple" option, reports The Information.

Introduced in iOS 13, Sign in with Apple is a privacy-focused login option that lets users opt to sign in to an app with their Apple ID, without the need to create a username or share an email address with developers.

Apple requires all App Store apps that offer Google, Facebook, and Twitter sign-in options to also provide a Sign in with Apple alternative (with exceptions for apps that exclusively use third-party accounts like Gmail and Tweetbot), which some developers are unhappy with.

Developers complaints filed last summer are now being investigated by U.S. antitrust regulators, according to sources that spoke to The Information. The U.S. DoJ is looking into how Apple uses its sign-in button and "other App Store rules that make it difficult for users to switch to a rival device maker."

The probe is examining Apple's control over the App Store, the fees that it charges developers, and complaints on restrictions on location tracking and other forms of tracking that Apple's own apps are not subject to.

Apple spokesman Fred Sainz declined to comment on the antitrust investigation when queried by The Information, but said that the Sign in With Apple feature is designed to give customers a privacy-focused alternative to sign in options provided by other companies.

The Department of Justice has not yet decided whether to sue Apple, and that decision could take months. Facebook and Google are also facing antitrust investigations, and lawsuits have already been filed against them.

U.S. antitrust regulators last year launched an investigation into Apple's App Store fees and policies. Led by the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, the inquiry ultimately likened Apple, Google. Facebook, and Amazon to oil barons and railroad tycoons.

The committee released a 450 page report highlighting CEO interviews, over 1.3 million documents, and findings from hearings with app developers. The report recommended new antitrust laws after concluding that Apple had a monopoly over the distribution of software apps on iOS devices.

Apple is also facing antitrust investigations from in the European Union,Australia, Russia, Germany, and Italy, and has been fined by France and South Korea.

Article Link: Apple Facing Antitrust Probe Over 'Sign in With Apple' and Other Developer Complaints

 

[FaustsHausUK]

They don't like it because I can finally hide my real email address and not get spammed to oblivion.

 

[Doomtomb]

It is a bit of a lock-in to Apple's ecosystem using sign-in with Apple but I prefer that it's the only one that doesn't share my email address with everyone under the sun.

 

[Realityck]

What a waste of time.

 

[I7guy]

Wait, what? App store rules make it difficult to switch to another device makers. Does Windows make it easy to switch to Linux?

 

[Wildkraut]

What a waste of time.

The master has spoken, let’s close the case!

 

[Suckfest 9001]

I support this investigation - I think that requiring all devs to implement this is super anti-competitive and is a thorn in the side for many developers that have to support this in cases where it clearly messes up the flow of their registration process. Especially with how it was just shoehorned into agreements without a concept of grandfathering out of it.

 

[MauiPa]

"complaints on restrictions on location tracking and other forms of tracking that Apple's own apps are not subject to." I believe this is not true at all. is the article factually stating that there are complaints about something that doesn't actually happen, or is the author alleging that these complaints are true? Please clarify, Apple has stated numerous times that these anti-tracking conditions do apply to Apple apps

 

[poematik13]

scumbag devs hate it when users can protect themselves from them lol

 

[MauiPa]

I support this investigation - I think that requiring all devs to implement this is super anti-competitive and is a thorn in the side for many developers that have to support this in cases where it clearly messes up the flow of their registration process.

How so? simply giving the customer a choice is not anti-competitive in the least. developers cn include as many as they want, so can you explain why you say what you do?

 

[Wildkraut]

Wait, what? App store rules make it difficult to switch to another device makers. Does Windows make it easy to switch to Linux?

Windows even comes with Linux onboard.

 

[entropys]

It is a bit of a lock-in to Apple's ecosystem using sign-in with Apple but I prefer that it's the only one that doesn't share my email address with everyone under the sun.

Yes, it is annoying that it is effectively another thing that kinda locks you to the platform, but it is the only option protecting my privacy. And it isn’t as though the developer has to only offer it.

 

[Psychicbob]

Um, Sign in with Google?

 

[Suckfest 9001]

How so? simply giving the customer a choice is not anti-competitive in the least. developers cn include as many as they want, so can you explain why you say what you do?

You didn’t address what I spent most of the reply on, which is that while customers have a choice, developers did not. Thanks for your reply have a good day

 

[Apple_Robert]

I like this feature and hope that it stays.

 

[840quadra]

I don’t recall being forced or have Apple as my only provider for mobile phones. Can’t be true because I also own Android. Aren’t devs opting into the house rules when they create accounts / sell into the App Store on either platform?

 

[I7guy]

Windows even comes with Linux onboard.

Comes with a flavor of Linux...but I guess the answer is no. If you want to rid yourself of Windows and use Linux, windows doesn't enable the process.

 

[Wildkraut]

I like this feature and hope that it stays.

It can stay, but wrong as requirement.
Just another example of interlocking different business types in a anti-competitive manner.

 

[aesc80]

I know many users will be "Oh shut up, you just don't want to accept it", but there's a bit of a valid argument here. In a ways, it's kind of discriminatory where if you wanted to make things easier for your user by adding a single sign on kind of solution like FB/Twitter/Google, you must add Apple, or you're stuck with regular ol' username/password. Otherwise you're booted from the service. "Other services are optional, but we're mandatory". It's kind of like saying "If you want to use your Visa or MasterCard here, you're required to have a store credit card too, even though you might not use it. Otherwise, just accept cash."

It's stripping away the liberty of the developers to add services without adding a native service so that they're always there. I personally like SIWA and use it, but it kinda sucks that it's such a heavy requirement for a sign in feature. I know I'll get flack from users (heck, Apple users are already becoming a little skeptical of 3rd party developers), but to quote Marilyn Manson "something beautiful, or something free".

 

[I7guy]

I support this investigation - I think that requiring all devs to implement this is super anti-competitive and is a thorn in the side for many developers that have to support this in cases where it clearly messes up the flow of their registration process. Especially with how it was just shoehorned into agreements without a concept of grandfathering out of it.

Actually, I disagree. And think it's a good thing for consumers, sign-in with Apple. This could turn out to be exactly what Apple needs, which is a complete clearing of all allegations.

 

[Suckfest 9001]

It can stay, but wrong as requirement.
Just another example of interlocking different business types in a anti-competitive manner.

Exactly. The fact they can randomly come up with new mandatory rules is ridiculous. Not every dev/company can just pick up prescribed mandatory development work from Apple just like that. It’s super anti competitive because it basically asserts that “if our competitors dipped their hands into your login process then we require that you add us as well because AppStore rules lol”

it’s just not OK. I love the feature but I don’t love this inherent dipping their hands in and forcing developers to do stuff with their app. They provide a storefront and it shouldn’t ever require mandatory additions to app code that’s just ridiculous

 

[alexiaa]

This is ridiculous, they literally have no case here. You can even use Sign in with Apple on Android. Also, saner websites allow (or even require) you to set a backup password anyway, or at least allow you to reset your password later on via the email address.

It's also important to note that you're not required to implement Sign in with Apple if you only have simple email/password login - it's only required if you implement other social login methods.

Personally I very much welcome this feature, I usually avoid social logins whenever possible despite the convenience, because I don't want to share even more data with Google or others. I may still just use email/password, but if I do choose to be lazy, Apple's implementation is far more privacy-preserving.

 

[dontwalkhand]

I love Sign in with Apple.

**** Sign in with Facebook. If they offer this, they should have to offer Sign in with Apple.

 

[Suckfest 9001]

Actually, I disagree. And think it's a good thing for consumers, sign-in with Apple. This could turn out to be exactly what Apple needs, which is a complete clearing of all allegations.

You didn’t disagree properly - I never said this was bad for consumers. I love this feature and use it all the time but requiring devs to implement it is plain wrong and anticompetitive and clearly many other actual devs out there agree

 

[mi7chy]

In security, this is called a middle-man attack giving Apple visibility into all your email accounts. Plus, domain name registrars have implemented alias email proxy long before Apple.