Update: Apple Revises App Store Link-Out Regulations per EU DMA. However, the fees remain high.
Apple changed its App Store rules to be more in line to the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) however the costs related to the changes by Apple remain a significant amount as per an article from The Verge.
The Highlights are listed in six bullet points on Apple's News and Updates page, and readers are encouraged to visit an even more thorough explanation of the new features in their developer documentation.
Highlights include advertising "offers that allow users to buy items from any location they choose," developers being able to "use an actionable link which is tapped, clicked or scan, in order to take users to their destination," and that "Updated commercial terms applicable to apps using external Purchase Link Entitlement feature are currently being introduced to align with changes made to these capabilities."
These changes are supposed to be in effects "this autumn" (no date for a more precise start date is set).
"Nearly Infinite 20 Percent Fee For Developers'
As per the article in The Verge, "Apple adds nearly endless 20 % fee to developers in the most recent EU update," the updates appear to give developers more freedom when it comes to linking with purchase options outside of the App Store.
But the costs that come with the new feature are so high and restrictive that "it's difficult to imagine any developer using the feature."
That's because, for developer that choose to sign up for the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (EU) Addendum, the associated fees include a 5 percent initial acquisition fee and an additional 20% store services charge that is applicable for "sales of digital goods or services that are made available on any platform, within a set twelve-month time frame from the date of an installation, which includes app updates and the reinstallation of apps."
The Verge mentions that app updates or reinstalls by the user reset the clock to 12 months left for the ongoing store service fee. Other programs and methods can lower the fees by allowing support for third-party apps, charging certain auto-renewing subscriptions that qualify, or being a developer in Apple's small business program. But the 12-month ongoing fees reset at reinstalls or updates can make them "endless."
A recently published TechCrunch article titled "Apple changes DMA approval for App Store link-outs, using fewer restrictions as well as the new structure for fees," further clarifies some aspects of Apple's different terms and associated fees, both existing and brand new. In particular, the "Store Service Fee" will comprise "a 10% commission fee or a 5% discounted commission (e.g. Developers that are part of the App Store's small business program) in accordance with Apple's commercial terms, or 20% standard or the 7% discount offered under Apple's existing terms."
Information on the fees associated with and both of the Alternate Terms Addendum to Apps within the EU and the StoreKit external Purchase Link Entitlement (EU) Addendum can be viewed in the Commissions section of this Apple help page.
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