Gaming emulator Delta launches “do not buy” sale

The link-in-bio phenomenon is expanding from social media. Gaming emulator Delta recently became the first major app to receive approval from Apple to put an external payment link in its App Store profile.

Clicking it is heavily encouraged. The link redirects to Patreon, where users are prompted to sign up for a $3/month membership – a price ~3x less than its $10/month cost through Apple’s App Store.

The app’s developer, Riley Testut, who’s dubbed this pricing approach the “do not buy” sale, told The Verge its motivation stemmed from Patreon’s ability to do things that Apple’s system can’t, such as issue refunds and handle customer support.

Apple did need to give it a blue check

The link was approved via the tech giant’s External Purchase Link Entitlement program, which allows developers to link to outside payment platforms in exchange for giving Apple a slightly reduced 27% cut of sales. The program debuted in January following rulings in the Epic vs Apple lawsuit that found Apple had acted anticompetitively by preventing developers from telling users about alternative payment methods.

🖐️ But…Streamers, such as Netflix and Disney+, which require users to sign up and pay in browsers, are among the apps still populating Apple’s Outlaw Country. Their apps don’t process any transactions and are only accessible by those who already have a membership.