Apple updates App Store rules in the EU - now even more complicated and with new fees

By: Russell Thompson | 27.06.2025, 11:02

Apple, under pressure from EU regulators, has officially updated its terms and conditions for app developers in the App Store - but instead of simplifying them, it has introduced a new, even more confusing commission system.

The update is due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) coming into force, which requires Apple to allow third-party payment methods and not restrict developers from communicating with users. The company was previously fined 500 million euros for non-compliance with the DMA, and to avoid new sanctions, Cupertino had to revise the rules.

Here's What We Know

On the one hand, developers are now allowed to post links to alternative payment methods - in-app, via web view, on websites or even in other apps. That said, Apple no longer requires showing "warning" screens or using imposed text. But that's where the "exemption" ends.

Instead of cancelling the Core Technology Fee (CTF) - a controversial €0.50 fee for each install after 1 million downloads - Apple has introduced a new fee structure:

  • Initial User Referral Fee - 2%
  • App Store Service Fee: 13% or 5% depending on the level of access selected. For Small Business members, 10%

Also introducing the Core Technology Commission (CTC), a new 5% fee that will replace the CTF for developers using external payment solutions via StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (EU).

The system change will be finalised by 1 January 2026. Those operating under the standard EU terms will fall immediately under the CTC.

Apple says the fees "reflect the value the company provides to developers through investments in technology, tools and infrastructure". But industry reaction is sceptical.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who previously won a lawsuit against Apple in the US, said on X (Twitter) that the scheme is a "malicious enforcement of the law" and a travesty of fair competition. He said apps with alternative payments are not only taxed but also commercially paralysed.

Source: Apple, @TimSweeneyEpic