Store will undergo some changes.
In the Apple news they were accused by the European Union that the app developers weren’t able to steer its consumers to some alternative ways to pay freely. This issue makes the iPhone maker the first tech firm to be blamed for breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
In addition, the tech firm arranged “several restrictions” and app developers couldn’t promote their offers, communicate, or conclude contracts using a selected channel.
As a response, Apple stated that they will make some changes to follow the DMA rule, and from now on the steering will only be available through “link-outs”. This means that app developers can include a link in their apps to redirect their customers to a webpage where they can close a contract.
Starting this Autumn, the app developers will be able to “communicate and promote offers” on other websites, not just their own.
But, Apple needs to add something extra for their changes, as they announced that the developers will need to pay a new fee structure for customers connecting to another app for offers and content.
These new charges will demand a 5% acquisition fee for the new users and a store 10% for store services which assumes any sales made by users on any platform within the first year of installing the app.
For now, Apple is charging three types of fees. The first fee represents a core technology fee applicable to less than 1% of the apps, then a reduced commission for all digital services that sell through the App Store. The final fee is optional and represents the payments and commerce services.
The reduced commission for all digital services will be replaced by the two fees that will be added to the App Store.
According to Apple, these fees will not apply to existing app users, and they will only be demanded by new users who download an app for the first App Store.
The iPhone maker is not the only company in this situation as the DMA targets other companies like Amazon, Meta, or Microsoft that must follow the Digital Markets Act.
We wait for other Apple news or for other companies' news to come and see how these will have to follow the rules required by the European Union.