Apple is known for their rigid nature, as far the compatibility of some of their  devices, and the services they allow for its users. Despite all these, its devices are so popular. But in the face of tough competition, especially from a rival like Google’s Android platform which is more open in nature, Apple is gradually getting a little more flexible.

The rules for apps set by Apple have always been a controversy with their peculiar terms and restrictions. The iPhone maker was demanding that publishers like Time Inc and streaming services should sell all the content at the same or lesser price for what it costs outside the app, they say on their web service.

It was justifiable as a trick to woo more customers into using these apps for accessing the content for a better price. But the terms also wanted the companies who run the services to hand over 30 percent of the take to Apple.

Apple even went on to take 30 percent of every book sold on Kindle app, making it a sore experience for Amazon’s Kindle platform.

However, now the rules of the game have changed. As many started moving to developing apps for the more open Android platform, and turning web-only, they have turned the tables by making slight changes to their rules. Look at these -

Old terms:

11.13 Apps can read or play approved content (magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, video) that is sold outside of the app, for which Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues, provided that the same content is also offered in the app using IAP at the same price or less than it is offered outside the app. This applies to both purchased content and subscriptions.

The new one:

11.14 Apps can read or play approved content (specifically magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video) that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app, as long as there is no button or external link in the app to purchase the approved content. Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues for approved content that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app.

Though the new term forbids app runners to include any ‘Buy’ button or subscription links on the content displayed through the app, the companies can direct their customers (or customers can do it themselves) to subscribe it from their respective websites and to download the app later, so that the company will not be paying up the 30 percent share to Apple.

This change which Apple introduced after a four months gap since the launch of the subscription feature, is an indication that the Cupertino giant is getting tamed by the market rules to be more customer friendly.

It made a similar move recently by lifting the restrictions on using certain tool sin developing apps for iOS. We hope Apple will become more flexible, don’t you?