SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 19 — The event-ticketing company Eventbrite has been given until December to add Apple’s in-app purchase system to its iPhone app, according to the Telegraph. 

The iPhone maker requires apps that sell digital goods and services via its Apple Store to use its own in-app payment mechanism, which takes a 30 per cent cut from these online transactions.

The Telegraph reported that Eventbrite was given a five-month grace period in the light of the coronavirus-induced collapse of the event industry, which tremendously suffered from the cancellations of concerts and other in-person performances to adhere to lockdown orders and social-distancing protocols.

Although Eventbrite began selling tickets for live-streamed events in reaction to the pandemic, the San Francisco-based company reported a 40 per cent decline in net revenue to US$49.1 million year-over-year in the first quarter.

Airbnb and ClassPass have received similar demands from Apple to comply with its 30 per cent commission, as both companies have recently expanded their business to offer virtual classes and "online experiences” on their iPhone apps.

According to the New York Times, Apple stated that waiving the fee in these cases would not be fair to the many other app developers that sell digital goods and have paid the commission for years.

Scrutiny of Apple’s 30 per cent charge for in-app purchases has mounted in recent weeks, as the tech giant removed Epic Games’ Fortnite from its App Store after the developer implemented its own in-app system. 

Following the ban, Epic Games sued Apple and Google in the US federal court, with its CEO Tim Sweeney promising "a hell of a fight” on Twitter.

Spotify issued a statement in support of Epic Games and against what it called "Apple’s abuse of its dominant position.” — AFP-Relaxnews

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