As promised, Apple has tweaked its EU App Store terms to allow developers to offer web-based payments. But there’s a catch – several, in fact.
The iPhone maker had until the end of this week to allow developers to offer IAPs outside of its ecosystem to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, or face an even larger fine than the €500m penalty it incurred back in April.
But the new policies announced today appear to be deliberately complex and seem unlikely to cause many developers to sign up – just like the ones introduced in January 2024.
The documentation is split across several pages on Apple’s Developer site. The new update is entitled ‘Updates for apps in the European Union‘, and appears to state that:
- Developers can now show users ways to buy IAP outside of Apple’s ecosystem, just like in the US
- But to do that, they have to sign up to new business terms and apply for an ‘External Purchase Link Entitlement’
- The new business terms introduce three new fees: an initial acquisition fee, a store services fee, and a Core Technology Commission (The latter is different to the Core Technology Fee, which is being retired)
Developers using outside payments will now be considered ‘Tier 1’ developers, and will get a reduced store services fee. But Tier 1 developers will not get access to other benefits like “app delivery and management, engagement, curation & personalization, app insights, and developer marketing,” says Apple.
Further digging into the terms confirms that by offering outside payments and becoming a Tier 1 developer, studios lose access to 28 different developer features currently available to them, including several key search functions, App Store featuring, expedited App Review, custom product pages and access to key app insights dashboards.
By default, all developers are Tier 2, and developers can move an app between tiers on a per-app, per-storefront basis once a quarter.
This also means two sets of commission fees for the two tiers. Here’s the breakdown according to Apple – remember, Tier 1 developers are those who choose to offer IAPs outside of Apple’s services:
Developers must also show large pop-ups – known by some as ‘scare screens’ – that make it clear users are going to be buying their IAP outside of Apple’s ecosystem, as below:
Apple also said that by January 1, 2026, it plans to move to a single business model in the EU for all developers, so expect further changes, especially if the European Commission is not satisfied that these new policies align with the Digital Markets Act.
