Apple opens up to payments outside the App Store, a turning point

Apple now authorizes publishers of application in the United States to pass, without expenses or commission, by another payment platform than the group’s store, the App Store, to comply with a court decision, a turning point.

The group has acted this major change by updating its applications regulations, published on its site. Wednesday, the Federal Judge of Oakland (California) Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers accused the apple of not complaining to her decision rendered more than three years ago and which theoretically obliges it to open the iPhone to competing shop shops to his.

In September 2021, the magistrate had estimated that Apple could no longer impose on the publishers of Apps to go through the App Store, her online store, as well as by her payment system, which levies an average of a 30%commission. The exclusivity of the App Store was so far a huge source of income for Apple.

Bypass

Service activity, which includes the application shop, musical streaming platforms (Apple Music) and video (Apple TV), as well as remote data storage (iCloud) now weighs 28% of business income. In Europe, the regulations on digital markets (“Digital Markets Act” or DMA), which entered into force last year, obliges the six largest world players in tech, including Apple, to open their platforms to competition.

Under pressure from regulators and justice, Apple had already enabled certain publishers to go through another payment system, via an Internet page, but still led to 27% commission. The new version of the regulation does not mention a commission, which means that the use of a third -party platform is now free of charge. Change only applies as in the United States.

In his decision rendered on Wednesday, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers notably orders Apple to no longer take any commission on the transactions carried out outside her application shop. She also intimate him not to send a message to users who wish to go through a shop or a third party application, except to tell them that they do not go through the App Store.

“A new world”

Apple explained, in a message posted on its site, that the update of its regulations aimed to put itself “in accordance with a court decision in the United States”. The group said he was planning to appeal.

“Apple’s defeat opens a new world to application developers,” said David Heinemeier Hansson, Technical Manager of the 37SIGNAL APP Creation Company. “Whole economic models were impossible under the 30%regime” of commissions.

“The cards are rebatted,” added Hamza Alsamraee to X also, founder of the Artificial Intelligence Start-up (IA) Newform. Friday, the audio spotify streaming platform announced that Apple had authorized it to update its application to now offer the possibility of paying outside the App Store.

Not “so much impact”

Avi Greengart, analyst of the TechSponential firm, does not expect this overhaul “to have so much impact on the turnover of Apple”. “Apple Services beats records quarter after quarter,” he said, “because there are more and more Apple in circulation and people are doing more and more things from their phone.”

“For small developers, the App Store remains the best way to find consumers without having to invest the sums that Epic Games or Spotify will spend to set up alternative means of payment,” said Carolina Milanesi, from Creative Strategies.

“And for most consumers, the additional steps (which is required by payment outside the Apple system) are not worth it if they do not spend much,” she continued. “It’s easier to go through the App Store.”

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