Oliver Haslam on April 2, 2020, 10:23 pm

Amazon Prime Video iOS And Apple TV App Now Allows Rental And Purchase Content Without 30% Cut

Amazon has started to allow users to make rental and purchase transactions via its Amazon Prime Video app on iOS and Apple TV. Previously, uses had to leave the app and continue the transaction via a web browser – as remains the case in the Kindle and Audible apps – but this new change is much, much improved.

Amazon’s decision to do things outside of its app was a move intended to avoid Apple’s 30% in-app purchase fee, something other apps also do.

However, it now appears that a deal has been made with Apple that allows the feature to be included.

“Apple has an established program for premium subscription video entertainment providers to offer a variety of customer benefits — including integration with the Apple TV app, AirPlay 2 support, tvOS apps, universal search, Siri support and, where applicable, single or zero sign-on,” Apple said in a statement given to The Verge. “On qualifying premium video entertainment apps such as Prime Video, Atlice One and Canal+, customers have the option to buy or rent movies and TV shows using the payment method tied to their existing video subscription.”

This is a huge deal for the Amazon Prime Video app and customers are clearly the winners here. It’s likely that Apple will still receive a cut of these transactions, but it will no doubt be considerably smaller than the 30% it charges other companies and independent app developers.

After years of a frosty relationship, it seems Amazon and Apple have now made up. Apple offers its Apple TV+ app and Amazon now also sells Apple products in its online store. Again, customers win in both situations although those developers who don’t have the same deal will no doubt be irked by the move.

(Source: The Verge)