Apple has agreed a simpler commission model for the European Union that charges a flat 5% commission on digital transactions in apps distributed outside its App Store, a change the company says will "resolve" disagreements with regulators resolve and takes effect on 1 October.
Under the new tiers Apple set out, purchases made through the App Store using Apple’s payment system will attract a 26% commission; apps that use their own payment processing will pay 20%; apps that link out to a website to finish a sale will pay 15%; and apps distributed through third‑party stores or the web will pay the Core Technology Commission of 5% commission. Apple said some fees can be cut in half when developers participate in qualifying Apple programmes cut in half.
The move replaces a more complex scheme Apple proposed last year and follows months of regulatory pressure under the European Digital Markets Act; Apple previously faced a €500 million fine and critics described its earlier terms as near‑malicious compliance. Regulators and rivals had argued Apple’s prior approach, which included per‑install charges and multiple service tiers, made alternative app distribution costly and hard to manage.
The change sits alongside other EU‑facing adjustments. German authorities have ordered Apple to change app data consent rules, and a separate German ruling required Apple to update its data consent pop-ups to avoid designs that steer users away from third‑party apps.
What this actually does for developers and users is straightforward: the new headline number is a low, flat charge on transactions that occur in third‑party marketplaces or on the web, and Apple has lowered its own in‑app rate from earlier headline levels. Apple frames the package as preserving device safety and user trust while complying with EU rules; regulators will now measure whether the simplified fees and flows produce meaningful choice in practice.
For European developers and iPhone users the immediate practical change is simple: transactions in third‑party app stores or on the web will carry a 5% Apple commission from 1 October.