Apple has updated its App Store rules in the US, now allowing apps to add links that take users to their own websites for payments and subscriptions. This change comes after a long legal battle with Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite.
The court decision was made to give app developers more control and flexibility in how they collect payments. Before this change, Apple required all digital purchases inside apps to go through its own system, where it collected up to a 30% fee. In 2021, Epic won a court ruling that ordered Apple to allow apps to link users to external websites for transactions.
Apple later allowed some apps to do this but still charged a 27% fee and required warnings or “scare screens” when users clicked these external links. These screens were meant to warn users about security risks when leaving the App Store. But with the latest court decision, Apple is now removing these warning screens and the strict rules about how the links must be shown.
It’s still unclear if Apple will completely stop charging any commission on external payments. When asked, Apple responded that it will follow the court order but strongly disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal.
Spotify, another company that has argued against Apple’s App Store rules, has already submitted a version of its app that uses external links for subscriptions.
This is a major shift for app developers who want to avoid Apple’s commission and control. It also gives users more freedom in how they choose to pay for services directly from the developers’ own websites.
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