Apple To Allow Outside Payments For Apps

(RTTNews) - Apple Inc. has updated its App Store policies, allowing developers to direct customers to outside payment platforms. The development comes as the Supreme Court has declined to review the antitrust case between Apple and Epic Games, where Epic Games sought a ruling to prevent Apple from making changes to its App Store rules.

Apple in its website has detailed about distributing apps in the U.S. that provide an external purchase link. The developers can use Apple's convenient, safe, and secure in-app purchase system. In addition, apps on the App Store in the U.S. that offer in-app purchases can also use the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (US). This will include a link to the developer's website that informs users of other ways to purchase digital goods or services.

To use the entitlement, one will need to submit a request, enable the entitlement in Xcode, and use the required StoreKit APIs.

Apple said it will review the app to ensure it complies with the terms and conditions of the entitlement, as well as the App Store Review Guidelines and the Apple Developer Program License Agreement.

For using an outside payment platform for in-app purchases of digital goods and services, Apple reportedly will collect a 27 percent commission, or 12 percent if a developer is part of the App Store Small Business Program. Apple earlier used to take a 15 percent to 30 percent cut for in-app purchases of digital goods and services.

Meanwhile, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney, in a post on the X platform said, "Apple filed a bad-faith 'compliance' plan for the District Court's injunction. It undermines the order allowing buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to IAP."

Responding to the latest Supreme Court order, Sweeney had stated that the court battle to open iOS to competing stores and payments is lost in the United States. A sad outcome for all developers.

The case stems from Epic Games' accusations that Apple's App Store rules are 'anti-competitive' and bar the developer from offering an alternate method to users to download its app.

On the other side, Apple alleged that Epic Games' plan to provide an alternate way to users was to avoid the payment of commission fees charged for in-app purchases by the tech company.

Previously, the lower court had ruled that developers must comply with Apple's rules to reach its customers. However, it also included an injunction to force the smartphone maker to allow the developers to offer alternate payment methods to users.