Update: Apple Revises App Store Link-Out Rules for EU DMA, but the fees remain high.
Apple has revised its App Store's rules to make it better compliant with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) however the fees associated with Apple's revisions are still quite high in accordance with an article by The Verge.
The major changes are described with six brief paragraphs on Apple's News and Updates page, with readers being invited to go to the more in-depth guide to the changes on their developer manual.
Highlights include promoting "offers to purchase items at any location they choose," developers being able to "use an actionable link which is tapped, clicked or scanned for users to get to their destination," and that "Updated commercial terms applicable to apps using an External Purchase Link Entitlement will be implemented to be in line with the changes to the capabilities."
The changes will begin to take into effect "this fall" (no date for a more precise start date appears to have been set).
'Nearly Endless 20 Percent Fee to Developers'
As per the article in The Verge, "Apple adds nearly endless 20 percent fee for developers in latest EU update" the updates appear to allow developers greater flexibility in linking to purchasing options that are not available through Apple's App Store.
But the costs that come with the feature's new features are so prohibitive and expensive that "it's impossible to envision any developer using it."
It's because for developers who choose to join the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (EU) Addendum, the charges associated with it include a 5 initial acquisition charge, plus the 20% Store Services fee that applies to "sales of digital goods and services via any platform and that occur within a fixed twelve-month time frame after the date of install, including app updates and the reinstallation of apps."
The Verge mentions that apps that are updated or reinstalled through the user resets the clock to the period of 12 months for the ongoing store fees. Various other programs and mechanisms could lower fees, including adding support for third-party apps, charging qualifying auto-renew subscriptions, and having a developer account in Apple's small-business program. But the 12-month ongoing fees resetting at updates or reinstalls are what make them "endless."
A recently published TechCrunch report, "Apple revamps DMA conformity to allow App Store link-outs with fewer restrictions, and an entirely new fee structure" further clarifies some of the distinctions between Apple's various terms and their associated fees, both existing and new. As an example it states that"Store Services Fee" will be "Store Services Fee" is "a 10% standard commission fee or a 5% discounted commission (e.g., for developers that are part of the App Store's Small Business Program) under Apple's new commercial terms, or 20% standard and the 7% discount offered under Apple's existing terms."
The details on charges for each of the alternative terms Addendum to Apps that are located in the EU as well as the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (EU) Addendum can be viewed on the Commissions section of this Apple Support page.
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