WordPress developer Matt Mullenweg says Apple wouldn’t allow an update for the WordPress for iOS app until the development team agreed to implement the feature.
Heads up on why @WordPressiOS updates have been absent… we were locked by App Store. To be able to ship updates and bug fixes again we had to commit to support in-app purchases for .com plans. I know why this is problematic, open to suggestions. Allow others IAP? New name?
— Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) August 21, 2020
Mullenweg says the WordPress iOS app was “locked by the App Store” and updates and bug fixes were not allowed to be pushed until the company agreed to add support for the in-app purchases feature. An update to the app appeared 19 hours following three weeks of no updates, so WordPress has seemingly bowed to Apple’s wishes.
WordPress.com offers several paid plans for WordPress.com hosting ranging $4 per month to $45 per month based on features, storage, support, and other parameters. The company also offers an enterprise option starting at $1,700 per month.
While WordPress is a website platform that is used by many websites on the internet and is a free, open-source tool, WordPress.com is a separate web hosting service with the above mentioned paid plans.
Mullenweg says developers are trying to decide how to implement the support of the in-app purchase feature for WordPress.com since the app also supports sites built on the WordPress platform.
Since WordPress for iOS has long been available in the App Store, it isn’t clear why Apple has pushed WordPress to include the in-app purchase feature at this time, especially since Apple is already facing wide criticism over its App Store policies.
(Via MacRumors)
