Apple might still collect a commission from developers, even if they don’t use its payment system

You’re probably aware of the fact that Apple charges developers a 15-30% commission fee for using its billing system. This affects all in-app purchases of third-party apps published on the App Store. Epic Games sued Apple for that, and the Cupertino giant was ordered to allow competing payment platforms. A legal filing has revealed that Apple may be planning to charge the commission anyway. So, potentially, Apple could land a piece of the pie from any purchase initiated from an iOS app — even if users complete it on the web.

What I’ve come to assume is now in black and white in this filing from Apple: If the injunction goes into effect, Apple seems likely to charge a commission on any transactions that start in the app, even if they are completed on the web. https://t.co/GVoEhiQbFS pic.twitter.com/uyXjAmM1uD

— David Barnard (@drbarnard) December 2, 2021

As 9to5Mac reports, a legal filing has revealed that Apple might be considering charging a commission fee for all purchases initiated from iOS apps. In this case, even if users buy or subscribe to digital goods on a website, the iPhone manufacturer would still get a cut if the link was clicked in an app. In the Epic Games lawsuit, the judge ordered Apple to allow other payment methods by December 9. That’s a week from today, and so far nothing hints at the tech giant changing any of its guidelines. The company has stated that its current guidelines already comply with what the judge has ordered.

Google has announced a similar policy for its Play Store. The company will be charging developers 11% if they use their own payment systems — only 4% less than using Google’s. We will have to wait and see if Apple will actually implement this or not. The legal filing only hints at a potential change, but it doesn’t confirm any future plans regarding the matter.

Do you prefer using Apple’s or individual third-party developers’ payment systems for buying digital goods? Let us know in the comments section below.

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