Moscow. August 27. INTERFAX.RU – Apple Inc is ready to change the principles of the App Store by allowing application developers to notify customers about the possibility of paying for services not only within the Apple ecosystem, but also in other ways.
Apple previously prohibited developers from using customer information obtained through its services to directly notify customers about the availability of alternative payment methods.
Now developers will be able to nudge their customers to pay for services outside the App Store, which charges a 30 percent commission on the amount of each purchase, writes The Wall Street Journal.
Last year, Apple cut commissions to 15% for app developers earning less than $ 1 million a year.
In 2019, developers sued Apple claiming that the company's app store practices were based on non-competitive principles. The company said it is willing to change its App Store practices to address developer claims.
Apple also announced on Thursday its intention to create a fund of $ 100 million, from which it intends to compensate the collected commissions to developers, whose sales between June 2015 and April 2021 were less than $ 1 million per year. This measure will be useful for 99% of developers, their representatives say.
“The hard-won agreement will bring significant improvements to iOS-based app developers who sell their digital products through the App Store,” said plaintiffs' attorney Steve Berman.
Apple said that the decision to settle the case, taken after a “productive dialogue” with the developers, will improve the App Store for both users and software manufacturers.
“The App Store is the safest and most reliable place to buy apps,” said Phil Schiller, Apple's App Store Manager.
Apple shares gained 0.4% during Thursday's preliminary trading. Since the beginning of this year, their value has increased by 11%.
