Apple asked for a cut of Facebook’s ad sales years before it stifled Facebook’s ad sales - The Verge

Apple and Meta at one point were discussing a potential arrangement that would let Apple take a cut of Facebook’s ad revenue, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Apple and Meta may not be the best of friends right now, but at one point, Apple was in discussions with the social media company about how it could make more money from its presence on the App Store, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Apple reportedly argued that it deserved a cut of certain portions of Facebook’s ad revenue. The specific ads in question were boosted posts, which let users pay to have their posts reach more people, the WSJ reports. Apple apparently argued boosted posts are in-app purchases, which it famously takes a portion of; Meta argued that they were ads, from which Apple doesn’t get a share. It seems that Meta won out.

Apple hasn’t only wanted a share of boost sales from Meta. Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Tumblr owner Automattic, says that Apple rejected Tumblr’s recently-introduced boost-like feature until the company offered them as in-app purchases.

FWIW, @automattic's boosted post feature on @tumblr (called Blaze), which is in spirit like Facebook's, was rejected until we implemented it as IAP and gave the 30% cut. https://t.co/RnepBh4Mq2

https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/12/23303095/apple-meta-facebook-ad-sales-subscription

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