Microsoft refuses to pay Apple a commission on SkyDrive iOS app

Due to conflict over its App Store policy, Apple has stopped letting Microsoft issue new updates to its SkyDrive iOS app.

The two rival companies are apparently locked in an argument over Microsoft’s recent decision to allow people to upgrade the amount of storage available on a SkyDrive account while inside the iOS app, according to The Next Web. Apple feels that it should be making some kind of money off of every purchase made through an iOS app, which is a standard 30 percent commission.

That includes SkyDrive upgrades, and every month thereafter that a particular user continues paying for the upgraded space.

However, SkyDrive (and many other cloud services for that matter) can be used across a variety of platforms. For example, I could sign up for extra SkyDrive storage space on my iPhone, and only ever use the service via my Android tablet. That means Apple is getting a cut for doing relatively nothing. That said, Microsoft isn’t playing ball. And as a result, Apple appears to be locking out other third-party iOS apps that interact with SkyDrive.

The Next Web’s source indicates that Apple has also rejected any proposal by Microsoft on a compromise on compensation, as well as removing the SkyDrive update ability from the app.

We’re reaching out to both Apple and Microsoft for more details. We’ll update the post with anything new we find.

Update 12/11/2012 – (1:40 p.m. PST): A Microsoft spokesperson responded to VentureBeat with the following statement below:

“Similar to the experiences of some other companies, we are experiencing a delay in approval of our updated SkyDrive for iOS. We are in contact with Apple regarding the matter and hope to come to a resolution. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.”