Apple has agreed to roll out billions of dollars a year for the iPhone maker and send e-mails the cheapest way to pay for digital subscriptions and media.
The offer, which covers email notifications but does not allow in-app notifications, was announced Thursday as part of a two-year first aid package filed by iPhone app developers in the United States. A federal court judge is expected to rule on a special case against Epic Games, a popular video game manufacturer.
Apple is also raising $ 100 million, which will cost thousands of app developers between $ 250 and $ 30,000. App developers get more flexibility to set different prices in their apps, expanding the options from about 100 to 500 options.
Under Apple’s long-standing rules, iPhone app makers are prohibited from emailing users of information on how to pay for services outside of the app, which complies with 15% to 30% of Apple commissions.
The offer now opens up a way for app developers to be more aggressive in encouraging users to pay in other ways, until they get user consent.
The agreement addresses U.S. District Judge Ivan Gonzalez Rogers’ repeated concerns during his handling of the high-end Epic-Apple test. She makes it clear why, like Apple developers, it does not allow them to display different payment options in their apps, just like brick and mortar retailers can display the various credit cards they receive in addition to cash.
Apple still does not allow developers to use in-app notifications to browse various payment options.
But just being able to email users to explain why they have to pay outside of the app is a breakthrough for developers who have been complaining about Apple’s commissions for years.
Richard Chezlawski, one of the developers of the app that Apple has settled, praised the freedom of the users in the field of notification as a “game changer” with the court in Auckland, California. “App developers will take full advantage of this change in customer relationships,” said Chezslavsky, CEO of Clean Sweat Basketball.
Among lawmakers and regulators around the world, Apple is moving closer to the app store commissioning system, with a strong view that controlling the store’s metal is hampering competition and innovation.
Earlier this year, Apple reduced its in-app commissions from 30% to 15% for developers with an annual revenue of less than $ 1 million – a move that would cover most apps in its store. Apple Corps has announced that it will extend the minimum commission for small developers by at least three more years.
But the lower commissions don’t help big app makers like Epic and Spotify, which are leaders in a coalition that is trying to tear down the so-called Apple Wall Garden, which prevents outsiders from offering other options. Apple bans alternative stores from offering apps on the iPhone to protect its own security and privacy, and critics say the company is trying to protect billions of dollars a year.
When Gonzalez Rogers made her decision on the Epic issue, those tensions could have escalated.
Gonzalez Rogers approves or rejects Thursday’s settlement agreement. The trial is set for October 12.
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