Elon Musk claims Apple has threatened to remove the Twitter app

Twitter proprietor Elon Musk claimed connected Monday successful a bid of tweets that Apple had threatened to region the Twitter app from the App Store arsenic portion of its app reappraisal moderation process.

"Apple has besides threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won't archer america why," Musk tweeted.

In different tweets fired disconnected connected Monday morning, helium called Apple's App Store fees a "secret 30% tax," and ran a poll asking if "Apple should people each censorship actions it has taken that impact its customers." He besides claimed that Apple has pulled astir of its advertizing from Twitter.

Apple's App Store is the lone mode to administer bundle to iPhones. If the Twitter app were pulled, the societal web would suffer 1 of its main organisation platforms, though the work is disposable for the web.

In addition, Apple requires iPhone app makers to wage betwixt 15% and 30% of immoderate integer goods sold done their apps. Musk has said 1 of his plans for Twitter is to rise billions of dollars from subscriptions, specified arsenic Twitter Blue, which is offered done the iPhone app. If it were to turn to Musk's goals, Apple would cod hundreds of millions of dollars successful the process.

Apple has faced challenges to its App Store fees and policies from companies specified arsenic Spotify and Epic Games, but Musk is nary alien to attracting worldwide attention, and whitethorn correspond Apple's biggest challenge to its power implicit iPhone app organisation truthful far.

Apple declined to remark astir Musk's tweets.

But determination are signs that Apple is watching the societal web intimately to spot if it violates immoderate App Store policies.

Representatives for unnamed app stores, which see Apple's App Store arsenic good arsenic Google Play for Android devices, reached retired to Twitter earlier this period aft Musk took implicit and the tract saw a question of hatred speech, according to a New York Times op-ed by Yoel Roth, Twitter's erstwhile caput of spot and safety.

Phil Schiller, Apple's erstwhile main marketer who oversees App Review, seemingly deleted his Twitter relationship earlier this period aft Musk took over.

Phillip Shoemaker, the erstwhile caput of Apple's app reappraisal and existent CEO of Identity.com, said Schiller's determination to delete his relationship reminded him of a institution making moves to "prepare for war." He believes that Apple's app reappraisal section is keeping a adjacent oculus connected Twitter's contented moderation nether Musk to spot if much questionable content, specified arsenic porn, slips through.

Apple's caller moves are "like erstwhile you region troops from a state earlier you attack," Shoemaker said. "You're reasoning you're going to person to propulsion these apps from the store."

There are 2 superior reasons wherefore Apple's App Store mightiness instrumentality a person look astatine Twitter nether its nationalist guidelines:

• Apple requires apps with user-generated contented specified arsenic Twitter to person beardown contented moderation systems successful place. Insufficient contented moderation was the crushed wherefore Apple booted Parler, a smaller Twitter competitor, successful 2020. Musk has reportedly vastly downsized Twitter's contented moderation workforce.
• Apple requires apps to wage fees betwixt 30% and 15% for integer purchases. When Epic Games enactment successful a strategy to get astir Apple's cut, Apple removed it. If Twitter were to propulsion a akin move, it mightiness unit Apple's hand.

There are besides different reasons wherefore Twitter mightiness autumn afoul of Apple's rules, including its insistence that big contented not beryllium discoverable by default. Twitter remains 1 of the astir salient societal networks that allows big content, opening up grey areas for App Store delays oregon issues.

Apple's App Store uses employees to reappraisal each app and update that goes connected the platform. The app reviewers often nonstop abbreviated responses highlighting issues without being explicit astir what apps request to bash to pass, CNBC antecedently reported.

Musk has tweaked Apple for years, and seems to bask doing so. He has complained astir Apple's app store fees successful the past, though the Tesla app doesn't let in-app purchases. He has besides sparred with Apple's purported program to physique electrical cars, though Apple's secretive task has ne'er shipped a car.

In 2015, Musk teased Apple saying that it lone hires rejected Tesla employees and that helium calls Apple the "Tesla Graveyard."

But Musk's moves connected Monday spell beyond teasing and rivalry, and suggest that helium whitethorn beryllium prepared to combat a lengthy nationalist relations conflict implicit Apple's rules. In 1 tweet, helium posted a meme successful which a car veers disconnected the highway nether a roadworthy motion offering 2 choices: "Pay 30%" and "Go to war." The car was choosing the second option.