Apple overhauls EU App Store rules following penalty

Apple has introduced caller App Store changes successful the EU successful an effort to debar being further penalized nether the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). On Thursday, the institution announced a caller tier strategy for its Store Services interest that’s applied to purchases made extracurricular apps, and it volition lone springiness developers entree to the afloat acceptable of App Store features if they springiness Apple a larger commission.

Tier 1 of the Store Services interest volition supply developers with lone basal App Store features for a cheaper, 5 percent committee connected in-app purchases, including app reviews, privateness nutrition labels, and entree to Apple Support. This tier lacks galore of the features developers payment from connected the App Store today, including automatic app updates, automatic app downloads, and different tools that could assistance developers beforehand their app. 

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose suit against Apple resulted successful a tribunal bid preventing Apple from taking a commission connected purchases made extracurricular the App Store successful the US, has already called out limitations for developers who take the cheaper tier.

For afloat entree to the App Store features, developers volition request to usage Tier 2 of the Store Services fee, which comes with a 13 percent commission. Apps connected the App Store volition beryllium connected Tier 2 by default, but developers tin determination their apps to Tier 1.

Apple is besides introducing a caller fee: the Core Technology Commission. With the update, Apple volition instrumentality a 5 percent committee connected extracurricular purchases made successful apps distributed connected the App Store. However, developers who signed connected to Apple’s alternate concern presumption volition proceed to wage the Core Technology Fee (CTF), a €0.50 per download interest that applies to apps for each yearly instal implicit 1 million.

The iPhone shaper says that connected January 1st, 2026, it’s going to determination to a “single concern model” for developers successful the EU. That means it’s going to modulation the Core Technology Fee to the 5 percent Core Technology Commission connected integer goods and services sold connected the App Store and alternate marketplaces.

The changes travel successful effect to the €500 cardinal (about $570 million) penalty the EU served Apple with connected April 23rd aft ruling that its App Store “anti-steering” practices — which restrict however developers tin nonstop users to marque outer purchases — violated DMA rules. Apple volition look involvement payments connected the $570 cardinal good if it fails to wage it by adjacent month. The EU besides issued preliminary findings for a abstracted DMA probe into Apple’s Core Technology Fee and different restrictions for alternate iOS app stores, ruling that Apple failed to show they were “necessary and proportionate.”

Apple inactive plans connected appealing the penalty. “The European Commission is requiring Apple to marque a bid of further changes to the App Store,” the institution said successful a connection to 9to5Mac. “We disagree with this result and program to appeal.” Apple didn’t instantly respond to The Verge’s petition for comment.

The EU Commission volition present measure the changes that Apple has projected earlier making a last determination connected further non-compliance fines.