Apple and EU Rewrite App Store Rules: What Changes

Picture an App Store where a developer can choose three different ways to collect money from users. Short. Simple. And disruptive.

After months of negotiation, Apple and the European Commission have reached a deal that loosens Apple's grip on how apps collect payments and how apps are distributed across Europe. Developers in the EU can sign the new terms now; the rules take effect on October 1.

Where this leaves developers

Developers will be able to pick between Apple In-App Purchase, third-party payment processors, or sending users to an external website to complete a purchase. They can also mix and match these options. Once a developer selects a combination, they must stick with it for 12 months.

There are guardrails. Apps in the Kids category cannot link to external payment sites, and no user under 13 may be routed outside the app to pay. For teens aged 13 to 17, third-party processors and external sites are allowed, but purchases must pass a parental gate that requires guardian approval first.

The agreement also redraws the fee map. The headline numbers are intended to let developers keep more revenue if they move away from Apple’s own in-app purchase system, while still preserving a fee for access to Apple’s platform.

• Apps that use Apple In-App Purchase will face a commission of 26%. Most developers — including those in the App Store Small Business Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, Video Partner Program, and auto-renewing subscriptions after the first year — will pay 15%.
• Apps using alternative payment processing will pay a 20% commission, with eligible program members paying 10%.
• Apps that link out to complete purchases will incur a 15% commission; developers in the programs above pay 10%.
• For apps distributed through alternative marketplaces or the web, Apple will charge a 5% Core Technology Commission.

Apple has also expanded who can run an alternative app store or distribute apps via the web. To qualify, an entity must meet one of several financial or institutional criteria. The list includes having a moderate financial-stability rating from Dun & Bradstreet, being publicly traded or owned by a public company, receiving venture capital from an established firm, completing a financial audit by a licensed accountant, or being a government body, educational institution, or nonprofit.

So what changes in practice? Expect more payment options inside apps, clearer parental protections for younger users, and a potential reshuffling of where apps live. Smaller developers in Apple’s programs keep a meaningful cut. Larger players gain flexibility but still pay for the convenience of Apple’s platform. The October 1 start date gives builders, payment providers, and alternative storefronts a fixed deadline, and it will be interesting to watch who rushes to implement their new checkout flows first.

Will prices drop for consumers? Maybe. Will app discovery shift away from the App Store? Not overnight. But the balance of power is nudged. In Europe, at least, the app economy just got a lot more negotiable.