Apple announced on August 18, 2026 a new commission structure for apps in the European Union, framing the overhaul as a resolution to its 'disagreements with the Commission over business terms and alternative distribution.' The new terms go into effect October 1st.
Here's the thing. The headline number is a flat 5% Core Technology Commission fee on digital goods in apps distributed outside the App Store or on the web — replacing the old €0.50-per-download Core Technology Fee that kicked in after 1 million annual installs, plus the initial acquisition fee and store services fee that made the previous structure a compliance lawyer's full-employment act.
For apps that stay inside the App Store and use Apple's in-app purchase system, the commission moves to 26%, down from the traditional 30%. Most developers will still qualify for a reduced 15% rate through the App Store Small Business Program, the Mini Apps Partner Program, the Video Partner Program, or for auto-renewing subscriptions after their first year. Apps using alternative payment providers pay 20% — or 10% if they qualify for one of those same programs. Developers who link users out of the app to complete a purchase pay a 15% commission on those transactions, per The Verge.
Developers must lock in their chosen payment approach — Apple in-app purchases, external payments, or a combination — for 12 months. Apple says this is about 'consistency and clarity for users.' Read the changelog.
On child safety, Kids category apps cannot include external transaction links, and App Store apps cannot link out to a purchase page if the user is under 13. Users under 18 must get permission from a parent or guardian before completing a purchase using an alternative payment method inside an App Store app.
The rules for operating a third-party marketplace also get looser. Previously, Apple required developers to either prove significant financial backing or demonstrate at least two years in Apple's Developer Program plus an app with more than 1 million first annual installs in the EU in the previous calendar year. Now public company status, a financial audit from a licensed accountant, or qualifying VC funding can also satisfy the bar.
Context: Apple was fined €500 million last year for DMA noncompliance, and last month lost its bid to exclude the App Store and iOS from the DMA. The previous revision was widely criticized as 'malicious compliance.' This one at least passes the straight-face test.
The editorial read: Apple spent years treating EU regulators like a rate-limit to route around. A 5% flat fee on out-of-store digital goods is genuinely simpler than what came before, and loosening marketplace eligibility is a real concession to free enterprise on the platform. Whether Brussels accepts it or finds new reasons to fine Cupertino is the only benchmark that matters now — and that answer arrives well after October 1st.
