Following a June charge by the commission for violating the bloc’s IT regulations, Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab on Thursday modified its policy in the European Union to let developers to contact with their consumers outside of its App Store.
As per the Commission’s ruling, Apple is only permitted to enable steering through “link-outs”—that is, app makers are permitted to incorporate a link in their app that takes users to a web page where they may finalize a deal.
According to Apple, developers may now interact with one another and advertise deals that are available from within their app—not only on their own website.
Apple, however, is going to implement two additional fees: a one-time 5% acquisition charge for new users, and a 10% store services fee for any sales that app users make within a year of installing the app, regardless of platform.
At the moment, Apple levies three different kinds of fees: an optional price for payments and commerce services, a reduced commission for all digital products and services sold through the App Store, and a core technology fee for the fewer than 1% of applications.
The lowered commission for all digital products and services sold through the App Store will be replaced by the two new levies.
The company that has been at odds with Apple on in-app links, Spotify (SPOT.N), opens a new tab, stated it was reviewing Apple’s proposal.
“At first glance, by demanding as much as a 25% fee for basic communication with users, Apple once again blatantly disregards the fundamental requirements of the Digital Markets Act,” a representative for Spotify stated.
The Commission had previously criticized Apple for charging fees that beyond what was absolutely required for such compensation in order to facilitate developers’ initial acquisition of a new client through the App Store.
