Apple is making adjustments to its App Store policies to allow payments outside of the App Store. This does not mean that developers escape the mandatory commission.

Until now, developers were required to use Apple’s payment system to process app purchases, but that is set to change soon. Apple announces new rules for its App Store. From now on, applications are allowed to display payment links that take you from the App Store to a payment platform of your choice.

Apple is not making this concession entirely voluntarily, but is an aftershock of the legal dispute that the company has been waging with game developer Epic Games since 2021. The publisher of the Fortnite games, which are extremely popular with younger generations, has successfully taken action against Apple’s (and Google’s) strict App Store guidelines. Part of the result of this lawsuit is that Apple needs to loosen its hold on app developers a bit.

This is done according to Apple’s rules. For example, developers must still first obtain explicit permission from Apple to add an external link, and the ability to process payments within the App Store must still be offered. When the user clicks on a link, they receive a written warning that they are leaving the secure environment of the App Store and that Apple is not responsible for what might happen.

Past the checkout

What Apple does is nothing more than adding water to wine. Anyone who hoped that allowing external payment links would eliminate the commission that Apple takes on every purchase will be disappointed. The rules state that Apple still reserves the right to charge 27 percent for every purchase; small developers have to give twelve percent. It does say that “in many situations it will be difficult or even impossible to collect the commission”.

It remains to be seen whether this will silence any criticism of the App Store policy. The adjustment currently only applies to the USA, but Apple is also forced to make adjustments in Europe. In March, the company will launch a special version of its App Store for the European market that allows sideloading of applications. Apple has been appointed a gatekeeper by the European Commission and must therefore comply with the Digital Markets Act, although the iPhone maker is doing everything it can to avoid this.