Apple’s gonna get its cut, if it’s the last thing it does.
Apple’s App Store fee policy is being scrutinized by governments around the world, and now the company indicated that it could collect its commission regardless of whether developers use its own In-App Purchase mechanism or a third-party payments platform, reads a new report from 9to5Mac.
According to the report, Apple might still be getting a commission out of payments made outside of the App Store, as long as the link to the external payment system comes from an app that was installed through the App Store. That, in effect, means all the apps that are installed on iPhones and iPads.
This pretty much circumvents the spirit of Epic Games’ lawsuit as well as the rulings that are being imposed against Apple. The reason why developers would want to give up the convenience of Apple Pay or Google Pay for in-app purchases is to escape that tax in the first place. The filing indicates that Apple doesn’t see things the same way, at least legally speaking.
Google has announced a similar policy for its Play Store. The company will be charging developers 11 percent if they use their own payment systems — only 4 percent less than using Google’s.
We will have to wait and see if Apple will actually implement this or not as the legal filing only hints at a potential change but doesn’t confirm any future plans regarding the matter.
