Basecamp founders’ e-mail service Hey is combating with Apple once more — this time over the rejection of its new calendar app from the App Retailer. Apple’s reasoning is much like when Cupertino-based tech large rejected Hey’s e-mail app 4 years in the past — non-paying customers can’t use the app after downloading it. Plus, new customers can’t join by way of Hey’s calendar app.

Final week, Basecamp launched an built-in calendar service with Hey, together with a brand new standalone app for it. On Saturday, Hey’s co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson posted on X that Apple has rejected Hey’s standalone calendar app.

Apple requires apps to permit customers to enroll in the service and presumably pay for the subscription if wanted. If customers pay by way of in-app purchases Apple will get a 30% (or much less in some instances) minimize. These guidelines permit some apps akin to Netflix, Kindle, and Spotify to let customers create accounts outdoors the app.

In 2020, Apple first rejected Hey’s e-mail app as a result of customers couldn’t join the service on the app. So each firms got here to a compromise the place customers may obtain and begin utilizing Hey with a randomized e-mail ID. To improve, they needed to pay for the service by way of the browser.

In a weblog publish, Hansson argues that a number of apps like Google Calendar and Netflix are logins gated with individuals paying for the service outdoors Apple’s ecosystem. Moreover, he says that Apple makes use of one iCloud ID to offer a subscription to a set of apps. So Hey’s calendar app must be allowed on the App Retailer.

“So what’s going to occur? I don’t know, however I do know that we’ll maintain combating. We’re by no means going to roll over and pay Apple 30% in safety cash to be left alone. Final time we discovered a means, and we are going to once more,” he mentioned.

Apple didn’t instantly touch upon the story.