A thorough review of App Store policies in the European Union, driven by regulatory pressure from Brussels, is transforming the relationship between Apple, developers, and users. The tech giant has announced relevant changes in its rules and rates just as the deadline imposed by the European Commission expired, threatening daily fines of millions of pounds if the store did not comply with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
For months, Brussels has insisted that Apple facilitate the promotion and access to alternative payment methods and allow developers to inform their customers about offers outside the App Store. Faced with the sword of Damocles of potential fines of up to 5% of its daily global revenue, the company has had no choice but to give in, although it claims to disagree with the conclusions of European regulators.
New freedoms for developers
Hereinafter, Developers can add multiple links within their applications, both in native interfaces and web views, that take users to their own pages, alternative stores, and even other apps. Limitations that existed on the number of links, their destination, or the inclusion of tracking parameters and redirects disappear.In fact, Apple has also made the famous warning message more flexible when the user accesses an external link, showing it only the first time if desired.
Links to app management and new features in iOS They will now be more accessible to developers, allowing them to promote their products and offerings across multiple platforms without undue restrictions.
For users, this means the possibility of access more competitive offers, since competition between different platforms can lead to more competitive prices and a greater variety of services or subscriptions.
Commission structure divided into levels
The most controversial point of the reform comes with the establishment of a new tiered tariff structureApple is abandoning the previously controversial standard flat fee and is proposing three different concepts based on the type of transaction and the level of services developers access:
- Initial acquisition commission (2%): Applied to sales made by new users during the first six months after downloading the app; exempt for those participating in the small business program.
- Store service fee divided into two levels:
- Level 1 (5%): Includes basic services (application delivery, security, and management), but excludes features such as automatic updates, reviews, metrics, and search visibility.
- Level 2 (13%): Provides access to all the usual App Store services (updates, marketing, recommendations, visibility, etc.), at a reduced cost of 10% for small businesses or long-term subscriptions.
- Central Technology Commission (CTC, 5%): This applies to digital sales made from apps with promoted external links, replacing the previous €2026 per install fee charged after exceeding one million downloads per year, starting in 0,50.
The combination of these rates makes Developers can expect to pay between 10% and 20% of the value of an external digital transaction., depending on the services chosen and the integration method. Although this represents a reduction compared to the previous historical 27%, some voices, such as that of the CEO of Epic Games, have publicly criticized that This structure maintains certain barriers and limitations that may condition the opening of the App Store ecosystem.
Installing third-party stores and apps: the big new feature in iOS 18.6
Along with the promotion and commission changes, Apple will allow iPhone and iPad users in the EU, starting in iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6,install applications from alternative stores or directly from the developers' website. It is entered like this a specific interface which guides the user through the process, providing additional information before each installation and requesting express confirmation.
For developers, the launch of a new API is also planned to facilitate the management of alternative downloads and the reporting of external transactions, which will be mandatory for calculating commissions. However, apps in the EU will not be able to simultaneously offer traditional App Store purchases and alternative purchases within the same app.
