Apple, Hey, and the Path Forward

Jason Fried:

Late Friday night, on June 19th, Apple’s App Store Review Board surprised us by approving the pending bug fixes to the HEY iOS app that were held up all last week.

Fascinating resolution — or at least abatement — of some pre-keynote drama. Also, a really clever idea for a free feature to make the app useful out of the box.

We care as much about the user experience as Apple, and this is a good compromise. Apple’s iOS customers can sign up for a new free version of HEY, and we can continue to take the same exceptional care of all our customers, regardless of platform. Plus, iOS customers get access to a popular new email service with all the bug fixes and new features we’ve committed to pursue, without having to pay higher prices than customers on other platforms.

Also a fascinating lesson in how you can argue, vigorously, for your own interests and what you believe to be right and just, without burning bridges.

★ Monday, 22 June 2020