I can still cancel all my subscriptions on iOS services in one place, very easily, all the same way. I still only have to trust one big, reasonably competent & responsible entity with my money when making a purchase decision, rather than trying to evaluate things on a case-by-case basis with every little two-person indie development shop. I don't have to figure out a different checkout flow for every app or service I buy on iOS. There aren't even two of them! Just one. Consistent, fast, and I trust it (well enough).
Apple's overall ecosystem still does a lot to make people feel comfortable & safe saying "yes" to a purchase and installing some software from a developer they've never heard of, even if the curation and presentation could be a lot better (but would just invite more waves of "waaaaah Apple won't let my derivative, inferior, somewhat-scammy app in the store, it's so unfair!" posts on HN, to great acclaim)
Just because the App Store is overly permissive in its curation in some cases doesn't mean it isn't overly stringent in other ones. Any system can have diametrically opposite problems in different areas. That just means the underlying problem is that the system is huge, hard to police, and suffers from inconsistent enforcement.
Apple's overall ecosystem still does a lot to make people feel comfortable & safe saying "yes" to a purchase and installing some software from a developer they've never heard of, even if the curation and presentation could be a lot better (but would just invite more waves of "waaaaah Apple won't let my derivative, inferior, somewhat-scammy app in the store, it's so unfair!" posts on HN, to great acclaim)