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Apple Technology

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Calls Out Apple for Promoting Its Services in the iPhone Settings Screen (techcrunch.com) 59

Posted by msmash from the bad-apples dept.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose high-profile antitrust lawsuit against Apple is now under appeal, is today calling out the iPhone maker for giving itself access to an advertising slot its competitors don't have: the iPhone's Settings screen. From a report: Some iOS 15 users noticed Apple is now advertising its own services at the top of their Settings, just below their Apple ID. The services being suggested are personalized to the device owner, based on which ones they already subscribe to, it appears. For example, those without an Apple Music subscription may see an ad offering a free six-month trial. However, current Apple Music subscribers may instead see a prompt to add on a service they don't yet have, like AppleCare coverage for their devices.

Sweeney suggests this sort of first-party advertising is an anticompetitive risk for Apple, as some of the services it's pushing here are those that directly compete with third-party apps published on its App Store. But those third-party apps can't gain access to the iPhone's Settings screen, of course --- they can only bid for ad slots within the App Store itself. Writes Sweeney: "New from the guys who banned Fortnite: settings-screen ads for their own music service, which come before the actual settings, and which aren't available to other advertisers like Spotify or Sound Cloud."
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Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Calls Out Apple for Promoting Its Services in the iPhone Settings Screen More

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Calls Out Apple for Promoting Its Services in the iPhone Settings Screen

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  • Meh (Score:2, Insightful)

    by DarkRookie2 ( 5551422 )
    Epic needs to make some more good games. The last one that was worth anything was UT2k4.
    That way, they wouldn't have to sue Apple to get money.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

      Epic needs to make some more good games. The last one that was worth anything was UT2k4.

      Nah, Tim just needs to fix the lack of skill based matchmaking and the ineffective anti-cheat and Fortnite would be fine.

      I'm calling out Epic for not caring about fair game play and not protecting casual players enough. Epic is just using low skill / low performance players as easy elims for the leets and cheats. If there was effective SBM, it wouldn't matter but as it is, every match is so unfair that players are being driven to cheat in order to compete. There's Arena mode for competitive players, but the

    • UT2K4 (Score:2)

      by JBMcB ( 73720 )

      I played the ever-living crap out of that game. Holy hell it's fun. I was getting pretty excited when the new UT was in open beta. Then, they stopped development in favor of Fortnite. So I tried out Fortnite. Meh. I still play UT2K4.

  • I want my phone to be a tool for my use, not an advertising platform for a bunch of cunts.

    • I want my phone to be a tool for my use, not an advertising platform for a bunch of cunts.

      So, why doesn't Epic go after Google for this same sort of "self-promotion"? Hell, as an OEM, you can't even sell an Android phone without agreeing to include a whole shitpotful of Googleâ(TM)s Datamining Tools, er, Productivity Apps!

      How is that different?

      • If there is some way of doing NFC payments with a rooted Android phone, I'd definitely go the AOSP and F-Droid route. However, AFAIK, the only things out there are GPay and Samsung Pay... which are important when using gas pumps to avoid being at the mercy of local skimmers.

      • You actually can use the AOSP version of Android without signing anything, but if you want the Play Store or any of the other Google bits, then you basically have to sign away your first born with your own blood. And if you use the AOSP version you're basically going to have to create your own version of a lot of apps that Google has abandoned in favor of its proprietary versions.

        There is a whole lot of blame to go around. For far too long the US regulators have been asleep at the wheel and things have gott

      • There are no ads in the OSes essential software? That seems like a huge difference. Would you accept ads in the Control panel on a windows box? Separate apps like the gmaps don't count - you can replace those (especially on Android)

  • Sweeny, when can I advertise in EPIC games? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Registered Coward v2 ( 447531 ) on Friday October 08, 2021 @09:49AM (#61872437)
    Why can't I advertise custom skins or items on your splash screens? And sell them via a third party payment system? Is it because you are a greedy hypocritical bastard?

  • full-screen ads for Epic products? ROFL

    If advertising your own products and services is an issue then almost every broadcaster on the planet will be in deep do-do.
    Here in the UK, Sky spend minutes in almost every ad break advertising shows on their subscription channels if you are viewing their free to air channel.

    • Re:What does he expect eh? (Score:4, Informative)

      by Luthair ( 847766 ) on Friday October 08, 2021 @09:58AM (#61872457)

      Abusing your dominant position in one market to enter other markets is something forbidden by anti-trust laws. This is actually what Microsoft has run into, incidentally they are going down similar paths today with OS advertising for Microsoft products, pestering users to use their browse (Apple also does this), making it difficult to switch default applications, etc.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Merk42 ( 1906718 )
        Yeah but it's only illegal when a MONOPOLY does it, and since Apple isn't one then clearly it's fine because a 2 trillion dollar company couldn't possibly have sway over the industry as a whole or anything.

      • Abusing your dominant position in one market to enter other markets is something forbidden by anti-trust laws.

        1. That question has already been adjudicated. Apple won.

        2. With Android's Marketshare compared to Apple's, anyone accusing Apple of "Abusing [their] dominant position" needs to have their head examined. See, e.g., Point 1, above.

      • How is advertising their services on their platform "abusing" their position? Next thing you'll tell me that Honda telling me about oil change specials when I go in for maintenance is abusing their position.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Luthair ( 847766 )
          No, it would be more like Honda launching its own restaurant chains and preventing any other restaurant from being part of their Navigation system.

          • More like an ad for their restaurant chain in a setup screen, but navigation allows you to see everything just as normal. Letâ(TM)s not overstate this itâ(TM)s an ad in settings, you can get interact with third parties where they live (apps), just not within the OS.

          • What the fuck are you talking about? That is a makeup example and you know it. Honda is not required to advertise for John's Garage. They cannot keep me from using John's Garage but they do not have to advertise for it either.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by DrXym ( 126579 )
      Sky is releasing a TV with integrated streaming to their service. Imagine all the spy/ad bullshit they'll get up to with that.
  • Is this surprising? Why would Apple force you to use iTunes from the very beginning? For the advertising. Not surprising they are now expanding on this.
  • I don't see any ads on the settings screen on my phone, a 2020 SE. Maybe I need a newer phone to see them?
    • On the settings screen mine currently says "Apple Arcade Free for 3 Months" right below the iCloud part at the very top and above the General setting. It shows when you get a new device and qualify for a free trial.

  • shut uuupppp (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    will this guy shut the fuck up already? your game sucks, your company is failing, no one cares that you hate apple, move the fuck on.

  • I have seen an ad saying "There are xxx days left to activate AppleCare" since I got this work iPhone several months ago. Since the phone was purchased by and provided by my employer, I will *never* make any purchases whatsoever using this iPhone. So it's useless to advertise to me.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by smap77 ( 1022907 )

      You amplified their advertisement of AppleCare to ./ readers, mate. Not so useless and advert after all.

  • Epic is getting desperate at this point.

  • Now it's just getting pathetic. Since getting walloped in court, seems like now he's just reaching for anything he can nitpick to stay relevant.

    Quit while you still have a bit of dignity left.

  • Epic needs to create their own Phone, then they can do what they want with it.

    As far as Advertising goes, compared with many in the tech-sector, Apple is pretty low-key, and always has been.

    Or is Epic really that stupid, spoiling for yet another big loss in Court?

    • Or is Epic really that stupid, spoiling for yet another big loss in Court?

      You're talking about Tim Sweeney here.

      You know the Tim who thinks making a video game is more difficult than building the iPhone from the ground up as a platform itself. https://twitter.com/TimSweeney... [twitter.com]
      The Tim who thinks Fortnite was banned from Apple's store because he was "making a statement" https://twitter.com/TimSweeney... [twitter.com]
      The Tim complaining that Apple changed its mind when it said it would let Fortnite back after the legal battle is over, who conveniently forgot that he appealed his loss so the legal

    • Lmfao, if they're low key, so is Google. Most don't even realize they're an ad company - ppl just think they're a search engine and an os maker.

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday October 08, 2021 @10:13AM (#61872521)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • is adware, just like Windows 10?

    • is adware, just like Windows 10?

      Hardly.

      And if Epic had their own phone, do you honestly believe they would act like they expect Apple to?

      I think we all know the answer to that one!

    • Way past it. Microsoft is not an ad company and doesn't run its own ads. As such, any telemetry they receive must be shared and thanks to the gpdr, they have to be transparent about the 3rd party.

  • Take away his megaphone. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    If Mainstream Media (and the more narrowly scoped but equally opinionated Blog Media) outlets would stop publishing about his every tweet the world would be a better place.

    Media creates the power these folks have by their obsessive reporting of everything someone says, positive or negative.

    The same with Donald Trump, if folks would have ignored his 'Birther' tweets he never would have been anywhere near popular enough to be president. CNN's constant negative reporting and FN's constant positive reporting cr

  • Answer: When a company controls the hardware.

    Apple has no obligation to even provide support on Apple devices to Epic's software. That wasn't what the lawsuit dealt with. Apple can easily ban Epic apps from it's devices. It won't because they still will receive money for allowing Epic to do so, but there isn't a law in this land that forces a device to support everything in the world.

  • Sweeney is just desperately clinging to anything that may make his legal follies seem like they accomplished something.
  • This guy is so whiny and keeps losing all his court cases. Stop paying this loser ad get a new CEO.

  • Epic, die in a fire.

  • This guy just fucked over his entire iOS player base after a failed plot and is now going on to bitch at Apple about ads in a mobile phone's settings menu? AM I AWAKE?

  • When Unreal Tournament used to be good? Yeah, me neither.

  • WTF Apple (Score:3)

    by GuB-42 ( 2483988 ) on Friday October 08, 2021 @02:29PM (#61873363)

    Targeted ads in the settings screen?

    The big point of Apple is that they are a hardware company, unlike Google, they don't need advertising and personal data to make money and can give their users a nice, clean interface that is designed in their best interest and charge a premium for it.
    They fucked up with they "think of the children" scanning of your pictures, they show you targeted ads in the settings, their last version of iOS lack polish, so why should we buy iPhones and not Android phones that are much cheaper?

  • My Pinephone doesn't have this sort of problem. Epic and Apple (and Google too), can all fuck directly off forever.

  • I think all assertions of being "anti-competitive" should be applicable strictly to marketplaces which are inherently neutral, like one where a given vendor does not own the venue itself. If there is a flea market that allows other people to be vendors nearby, it isn't anti-competitive to have the biggest booth with the flashiest signs, because they're not trying to compete; they literally own the venue already and it's theirs to do with however. Anyone throwing out assertions of anti-competitive needs them

  • Samsung has tried to do the same but was slammed heavily by users and the press. I hope Apple gets the same treatment so that our premium phones don't transform into a private billboard for the vendors.

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