Apple changes its App Store pricing tiers for in-app purchases and Android users are also being affected
Pokemon Go players on both iOS and Android will see higher prices for in-app purchases in some markets
The price increases for in-app purchases made for Niantic’s mobile games can now be spotted in those countries regardless of whether the game player is using an iPhone or an Android phone. Earlier this week, Niantic posted a letter on its website that said:
This update is due to changes in App Store price tiers. We will also make similar changes on other mobile platforms. The following countries and regions will be affected:
Territories that use the Euro currency include Chile, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, and Vietnam. While we will not be taking any immediate action in response to this change, we’ll be monitoring its impact and discussing how to navigate changing conditions globally. Thank you for your understanding.”
Considering that Pokemon Go remains popular (it is the seventh-highest grossing mobile game worldwide), the price hike applied to Android users alone could bring in tons of cash for the developer. And if other developers follow in Niantic’s footsteps (and why wouldn’t they?), Android users are going to be upset. And in this case, it isn’t Apple that should get the blame because it has the right to change its pricing tiers whenever it feels like it.
Niantic is the bad actor with this issue, not necessarily Apple
As one Reddit subscriber wrote, “That Apple is increasing their prices of in-app purchases doesn’t mean that Niantic also has to affect other mobile platforms with increasing prices at those platforms.”
Apple could also expand the number of markets currently hit by the price increase. For example, Apple Store pricing tiers for in-app purchases in the U.K., a country whose currency is increasingly dependent on the Euro for trade, have not yet been slapped with the price hike.
