Apple Lifts App Store Restrictions And Introduces Two-Tier Commission System
In June this year, the European Union found the current policies of Apple’s digital content store App Store to be anti-competitive and in violation of the region’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Now, the iPhone maker has announced a series of changes that should expand the opportunities for third-party app developers within the company’s ecosystem.
The updated App Store policy removes many of the restrictions Apple had previously placed on how developers could link to external resources within their apps. It also introduces a new payment structure specifically for cases where payments were made outside the App Store. Apple previously had strict rules on how links could be placed within apps distributed through the App Store in the European Union.
The new changes to the App Store policy remove all of these restrictions, and developers can now place links in their apps that lead anywhere, including to pages of alternative payment systems and digital content stores. However, URLs can be used for identification, as long as the developer does not subsequently use the information collected in this way for advertising.
The store service fee is a commission on sales of digital goods and services, which also applies to purchases made on any of the available platforms. It is valid for 12 months from the date of downloading, updating or reinstalling any application.
