Apple’s US App Store Now Lets Developers Link to Other Payment Methods

Apple has published an updated version of its App Store policies for the US market after the US Supreme Court declined to hear both appeals in the Epic Games v. Apple trial. Apple’s new App Store policies now reflect the fact that the company’s anti-steering rule is no more, and developers are now free to include links to outside payments in their apps in addition to Apple’s in-app purchase system.

Apple will require developers who want to provide an external purchase link in their iOS apps to submit an entitlement request form to Apple, configure the entitlement in Xcode, and then submit their app for review. Again, these developers will still need to offer in-app purchases in their apps in addition to other ways to purchase digital goods or services.

For consumers, external purchase links in apps will display a disclosure sheet explaining that they’re going to make a purchase through an external source. The message will also emphasize that Apple won’t be able to provide refunds or verify pricing and promotions offered by developers.

Even if consumers choose to use other payment systems than Apple’s, the company will still take a 27% cut on these transactions instead of the regular 30% cut that applies to in-app purchases. This cut can drop to just 12% in some circumstances, as Apple detailed: “If you’re a participant in the Small Business Program, or if the transaction is an auto-renewal in the second year or later of an auto-renewing subscription, the commission will be 12%,” the company explained.

Obviously, this system is still not ideal for both developers and consumers. Using in-app purchases will remain more seamless, and developers will need to go through some extra hoops to implement links to external websites, but Apple will still take a 27% cut on these web purchases.

In reaction to Apple’s new US App Store policies, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney posted a list of complaints on X, and the key point he made is that “Apple will front-run competing payment processors with their own “scare screen” to disadvantage them.”

While these App Store changes will only apply to the US, the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which will go into effect on March 6, will push Apple to make even bigger changes for users in Europe. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is preparing to ship two different versions of its iOS App Store, one for the European market and another one for the US and the rest of the world.