Apple revises fees and link policies following EU DMA investigation

Apple has updated its terms and policies for app developers in the European Union, ostensibly to better comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The new compliance plan allows developers to link to outside payment systems or promote other platforms — however, the new terms also have new fees that allow Apple to take a cut of each purchase. The company recently settled its antitrust case with the EU, agreeing to open its Apple Pay platform up to outside payment options.

The new rules, which are available to view on Apple’s developer support website, list all of the various percentages Apple takes from each purchase, regardless of where it’s made. The fee structure is different for those who enroll under Apple’s new terms and those who are part of its existing terms.

For developers who enroll under the new terms, Apple takes a 5% initial acquisition fee on all sales of digital goods and services made within a 12-month period after an initial app install, and a 10% store services fee for all sales made within a 12-month period after any install (that includes re-installs).

For developers who are already part of Apple’s existing terms, they face even heavier fines for adding external links: 20% for a 12-month period after install (though that number goes down to 7% for App Store Small Business Program participants).

These new policies have already faced some criticism from some of the companies behind the App Store’s most popular apps. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, said on X, “Apple continues its malicious compliance by imposing an illegal new 15% junk fee on users migrating to competing stores and monitor commerce on these competing stores.”

Spotify said in a statement to TechCrunch, “At first glance, by demanding as much as a 25% fee for basic communication with users, Apple once again blatantly disregards the fundamental requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The European Commission has made it clear that imposing recurring fees on basic elements like pricing and linking is unacceptable. We call on the Commission to expedite its investigation, implement daily fines and enforce the DMA.”