For the first time since the launch of the AppStore Application Store, Apple seems willing to negotiate the conditions imposed on developers who want to use alternative payment systems. The company has published today a proposal agreement to give a folder to one of the judgments that face several of them for their restrictive policies when managing the store.
Specifically, Apple is willing to allow developers to refer to alternative payment systems by communicating directly by email with users, something that until now was not allowed.
This will allow a developer to avoid using the Apple Integrated Payment System at the AppStore, by which Apple charges a commission that can reach 30% of each transaction. Users will have to give permission to the developer to receive these offers and Apple will demand that they can unsubscribe at any time if they wish.
Applications and games will continue to be able to show links or references to alternative payment systems for subscriptions or purchases within apps (something that many developers seek for years), but at least it will open the door that if a user downloads a game, by Example, I can know thanks to an email that can buy virtual objects or seasonal passes independently, potentially at a lower price and without passing back by the AppStore.
Apple will also create a background of 100 million dollars to compensate the thousands of small application developers who had collectively demanded the company based on their size.
The agreement has not yet been accepted by the judge who instructs the case but several of the small developers have been happy for the company's decision. "We will be able to take advantage of this decision to reduce the commissions we paid," explains the Richard Czeslawski programmer, one of those involved in demand. The judge is expected to offer a pre-eleminar approval of the agreement in October.
Although it is an agreement with developers from the United States, the new conditions will apply to developers around the world.
This case, however, is different from the company with the EPIC video game developer by the withdrawal of the Fortnite game of the AppStore and that is still underway.
Last year, Apple and Google withdrew Fortnite from their application stores after EPIC challenged the internal standards of the respective application stores by integrating a link to buy virtual currencies of the popular game at a lower price, using an alternative payment system to the Integrated within application stores.
But the agreement announced by Apple addresses one of the judge's concerns that instructs the case of EPIC and that it is the same as judges this collective demand. The judge considers potentially detrimental to the consumer that Apple does not allow developers to show a variety of payment options within their applications.
In addition to the new measures, Apple will expand the number of price points available for developers who offer subscriptions and purchases within APPS to more than 500 options (there are currently about 100).
The company has also announced the launch of the News Application Partner Program, which will allow publishers and content providers to reduce the Apple Commission from 30% to 15% in subscriptions as long as the content, in addition to the APP, It is integrated into the iOS News App, which functions as an aggregator of different media.
Independently, Apple raised its commissions from 30% to 15% for developers at the beginning of this year with less than $ 1 million in annual revenues. The new agreement will expand this measure at least three more years.
Date Of Update: 05 September 2021, 06:09
