Apple has announced changes to its App Store business terms in the European Union, following a prolonged dispute tied to the bloc's Digital Markets Act. The new terms will take effect from October 1 and will bring all developers distributing apps in the EU under a single set of rules.
New commission structure for EU developers
Under the revised terms, Apple will charge a standard commission of 26 percent for apps on the App Store that use Apple's In-App Purchase system, though many developers, including those in Apple's Small Business Program and certain other programmes, will pay a reduced rate of 15 percent.
Developers using alternative payment systems will be charged a 20 percent commission, reduced to 10 percent for those covered under Apple's eligible programmes. For App Store apps that direct users outside the app to complete a purchase, Apple will charge a 15 percent commission, with a reduced 10 percent rate for eligible developers.
For apps distributed through alternative app marketplaces or the web, Apple will apply a 5 percent Core Technology Commission on digital transactions, replacing the earlier Core Technology Fee. Apple is also removing its initial acquisition fee and store services fee as part of the changes.
Epic Games calls new charges 'junk fees'
Epic Games has criticised Apple's revised terms, saying in a post on X that the new charges are 'junk fees' that 'do nothing to open up the mobile app ecosystem to competition'.
The company pointed to Apple's 20 percent commission on alternative payment systems, its 15 percent fee on links to external purchases, and the 5 percent Core Technology Commission as evidence that Apple continues to limit competition.
Epic argued that the EU's Digital Markets Act requires Apple to let developers link to the web for purchases "free of charge," and that the law also obliges Apple to allow "effective use" of competing app stores.
"Apple's terms deliberately violate the Digital Markets Act. If the Commission accepts the terms and drops their ongoing enforcement actions, the law will become meaningless and consumers and developers will not experience the benefits it was designed to provide," Epic Games said.
The changes follow a long-running dispute between Apple and regulators over compliance with the Digital Markets Act, which is designed to open up dominant digital platforms to greater competition. Apple's revised terms are aimed at addressing regulatory concerns while restructuring how it charges developers across the App Store and alternative distribution channels in the EU.
