Apple is restructuring its European Union App Store with a unified set of business terms and tiered commission rates, moving to resolve disputes with the European Commission over distribution and payment rules. The changes take effect October 1.
Under the new terms, all developers distributing through the App Store will face a 26 percent commission on in-app purchases using Apple's payment system. Developers directing users to external payment links will pay a 15 percent fee. Apps distributed outside the App Store entirely will be subject to a 5 percent Core Technology Commission fee on digital transactions.
Apple has faced sustained pressure from EU regulators over App Store terms since the Digital Markets Act took effect in March 2024. The commission has investigated whether Apple's commission structure and mandatory in-app purchase system constituted anticompetitive practices. The company previously offered alternative payment systems and reduced commissions for smaller developers in the EU, but those arrangements were fragmented across different developer categories and distribution methods.
The unified fee structure consolidates what were previously multiple rate tiers. Apple said the new arrangement resolves what it characterizes as disagreements with the Commission "over business terms and alternative distribution." The company has not detailed which specific Commission objections prompted each fee level, though regulators have previously challenged both the 30 percent standard commission and restrictions on steering users toward cheaper payment methods.
The 5 percent Core Technology Commission on external distribution differs from Apple's approach in other markets. In the United States, the company has proposed a 3 percent fee plus 15 cents per transaction for sideloaded apps under the Digital Markets Act's interoperability requirements, though that rule faces legal challenge. The EU rate is double the U.S. baseline.
The October 1 effective date gives developers two months to transition to the new terms. Apple did not specify whether developers currently operating under existing arrangements will have a grace period or face immediate conversion to the new rates upon the deadline.
Apple has restructured EU terms multiple times since 2021. Each iteration has attempted to narrow the gap between regulatory demands and the company's commission model, with mixed results. The new unified framework collapses developer categories but maintains a steep cost for using Apple's payment infrastructure.
The number that decides whether this settles the dispute is whether the European Commission initiates a new formal investigation into these rates within six months of the October 1 launch.
