Apple has immediately revised its terms and conditions for the App Store after reaching a settlement with Epic Games in a recent court case. This means that Apple must now allow app developers to offer alternative payment methods outside of the store.
This change stems from App Store Guideline 3.1.1(a) Link to Other Purchase Methods, which now states that developers can display links to their own websites for in-app purchases. However, this condition only applies to the App Store in the United States.
Furthermore, Apple has also released a new document titled “Distributing apps in the U.S. that provide an external purchase link,” which provides detailed instructions on where developers can display these links. For example, on the account creation page and account settings page, along with a warning when users click on the external purchase link using the StoreKit External Purchase Link API.
As for the question many have been asking, if developers choose to use alternative payment methods within the Apple ecosystem, the App Store commission rate will be reduced from 30% to 27%. This is similar to the case in South Korea, where Apple complied with the country’s laws and opened up alternative payment channels, reducing the commission fee to 26%.
TLDR: Apple has updated its App Store guidelines, allowing developers to display links to their own websites for in-app purchases outside of the United States. They have also released a document providing instructions on where these links can be displayed. If developers choose to use alternative payment methods within the Apple ecosystem, the commission rate will be reduced to 27%, similar to the recent changes in South Korea.
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