Earlier this year, Apple complied with the EU’s new Digital Markets Act and its requirement to allow apps to be distributed outside the App Store, while allowing developers to use external payment methods by setting up a complex web of fees, rules, and policies. We’ve written in the past about how the new structure appears hostile to both users and developers, and the European Commission didn’t seem pleased, investigating Apple further over the summer.
Today, Apple announced some changes to its policies for apps that offer payment methods outside of the App Store, as well as a new pricing structure and fee calculator.
The new rules were announced on Apple’s developer portal. Apps can now link to offers anywhere: another website, multiple websites, other apps, etc. They are no longer limited in the interface methods and language used to communicate these offers. Apps looking to offer external payment methods must still obtain and use the StoreKit external purchase link right, however.
The rules are less restrictive, but the complex web of fees and charges doesn’t seem much clearer: the full terms can be found on Apple’s developer site.
Developers are charged a 5% “upfront acquisition fee” for any new user who makes a purchase. A 10% “Store Services Fee” is charged for all purchases made on any platform, whether through Apple’s in-app purchases or an external site. Additionally, Apple’s controversial “core technology fee” applies to all new app installations. If you’re using Apple’s old standard terms of business, you don’t have to pay the core technology fee, but the Store Services fee jumps to 20% for any payments made through an outbound link.
Apple has updated its developer fee calculator with updated terms to give a better understanding of how much they will charge EU developers who want to publish apps on iPhone.
The new terms appear less restrictive in terms of the methods Apple allows developers to use in apps to offer paid content or services, and the fees seem lower at first glance for those using external payments. It still seems unnecessarily complex, and it’s unclear whether the new terms will satisfy the European Commission or developers who might simply want to be able to offer apps on iPhone and monetize them, without paying Apple for the privilege – as they can on the Mac.
