One year after the launch, Apple’s new login service has now become mandatory: All apps that offer users a login with so-called social logins such as Facebook login or Google login must also “Login with Apple” since July 1 (sign in with Apple) as an “equivalent option” as Apple’s App Store rulebook sets out.
The requirement has been in place for new apps since September 2019, and after a deadline extended by Apple, it now applies to all programs available in the App Store.
Account creation in seconds
(Image: Apple)
Apple’s in-house login service wants to make it particularly easy for users. An account is created using biometric authentication, with the Apple ID behind it. Users also have the option of only providing the provider with a disposable email address. Apple promises not to collect any data when using the service that enable tracking or creating profiles – this is above all a direct shot at the prow of social networks, which get insights into app usage habits via the logins.
The need to integrate should further increase the spread of “Sign in with Apple”. Many small and large apps have already integrated the service, the list ranges from indie apps such as Fantastical to Adobe software and the cloud storage provider Dropbox to media services such as TikTok and the New York Times.
Apps throw out social logins
Other developers don’t want to join in: “Sign in with Apple” creates its own “headache in customer support” and problems for users, writes the provider of the list app Anylist. For example, customers can no longer be helped to reset their passwords, and support cases are also more difficult to solve when working with disposable addresses that users usually do not know themselves.
Anylist therefore only wants to rely on its own account management and also delete Facebook login. Other providers have also chosen the way to simply throw out all social logins and only rely on their own account management, including Fitbit and Nike Run Club.
As a result, Apple’s requirements for integrating the login service no longer apply: Apps that only offer their own login system do not have to implement “Login with Apple”. Social network client apps, such as the Facebook app or Google app itself, are also excluded from the rule – just like enterprise apps.
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