Hinge is planning its own mobile payment system to avoid App Store fees
As part of his appearance on the Decoder podcast, Hinge co-founder and CEO Justin McLeod says that the company would like to introduce an alternative payment service by the end of this year.
With a Hinge-run alternative payment service, Apple won't be able to take a cut of any purchases, and that 'changes the equation' for Hinge on 'many fronts,' according to McLeod. Not only would Hinge be able to invest more in the company, but he says it 'could result in lower prices,' too. It also 'certainly gives us major opportunities to invest in the core product experience at a time when there's massive disruption.'
The possibility of Hinge using its own payment service with its iOS app is thanks to the major recent ruling in Epic Games v. Apple that blocks Apple from taking fees on purchases made outside of apps. Epic is already trying to entice developers to use its payment platform, and Stripe offers an option outside of Apple's platform, too.
Match Group, which owns Hinge and other dating apps, like Tinder, OkCupid, and Match, has been a vocal critic of Apple's App Store fees. McLeod says that the payment service will 'most likely' be Hinge-specific instead of a Match Group service.
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