Apple: No Major App Developers Accept New Outside Payments

From Bloomberg: No major app developers have signed up to use outside payment options that Apple introduced earlier this year for its App Store because the fees they pay would be at least as high as they were before, according to testimony presented to a federal judge.

The apparent lack of interest in the changes Apple offered as a remedy for anti-competitive practices drew harsh criticism Friday from U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, the article adds. The tech giant began allowing developers to include outside payment links in App Store listings in January 2024.

So far, Bloomberg says Apple has received just 38 applications out of over 65,000 registered app developers who offer in-app purchases. None of the 38 were purportedly from major companies. In testimony, developers said that the main reason is that the fees would basically be the same or potentially higher under the third-party option. Rather than the App Store’s 15%-30% commissions, Apple would instead require a 27% fee for the use of the App Store platform.

“It sounds to me as if the goal was to then maintain the business model and revenue you had in the past,” Rogers said.