After a $570 million fine, Apple introduced two levels of commissions in the App Store in the EU — 5% and 13% of purchases on Thursday.
The European Commission must evaluate Apple’s proposals before deciding whether to punish the company again.
The European Commission fined Apple $570 million in April 2025 for technical restrictions that prevent developers from accepting payments outside the App Store. For example, the company does not allow them to distribute information about this payment method. Apple appealed the decision but was required to make changes to avoid being fined again.
The updates concern service fees and introduce two levels of commissions, as well as allowing links to payment methods outside the App Store to be distributed on any platform — on websites, in apps or other app stores, according to The Verge and TechCrunch.
At the first level, developers will only have access to basic App Store features, such as no automatic updates or app downloads. The commission will be 5% of purchases.
By default, all developers are assigned to the second tier, but they can switch to the first. The commission is 13%. It gives full access to all App Store services.
In addition, there is a separate payment for purchases in apps advertised outside the App Store — 5% of the purchase. You can agree to alternative terms, in which case you pay €0.5 for each first installation during the year (if the number of installations exceeds 1 million). However, from January 1, 2026, Apple plans to replace this payment with a 5% commission for all developers in the EU.
