Apple dismisses Hey Mail app denial appeal for lack of in-app purchase option

Apple has rejected an appeal from Basecamp for an update to the Hey mail app, because users can only pay on the website and not in the app. Apple had previously allowed a version, but refused an update.

According to an interview by Techcruch with Apple CEO Phil Schiller, it is because paying for the app is necessary. “You install an app and then it doesn’t work and that’s not what we want,” said the Apple CEO.

There are exceptions to those rules, but they only apply to apps that work as ‘readers’, such as Netflix. According to Apple, this is because those services also support bulk orders from companies or agencies to give many users access to a service at once.

Apple says it will approve the Hey-mail app again if support for third-party mail services, for example via imap, which will be available without payment. Basecamp has not yet responded to Schiller’s statements.