On June 26, 2025, Apple announced another round of EU-specific App Store changes intended to answer additional requirements under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Developers can promote offers outside the App Store, use alternative payments, distribute through approved third-party marketplaces and, if eligible, distribute from their own websites. Apple did not abolish its economic claims, however: commissions, payment fees, install-based charges and a new 5% Core Technology Commission can still apply.
The European Commission had not approved the package when Apple announced it. The fairest conclusion is therefore provisional: Apple opened meaningful distribution and payment routes in the 27 EU member states, while preserving substantial control over security, authorization, discovery and developer economics.
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What Apple changed in the EU
| Change | Practical meaning |
|---|---|
| External promotion | Developers may promote digital offers leading to a website, another app, an alternative marketplace or an in-app webpage or experience. |
| Alternative payments | An app may use an external payment provider or send the customer to web checkout. Apple says its separate payment-processing fee does not apply in those cases. |
| Alternative marketplaces | Eligible developers may distribute iOS and iPadOS apps through authorized third-party app stores. |
| Web distribution | Eligible developers may distribute their own apps from their websites, subject to authorization, notarization, technical and business requirements. |
| New EU business terms | Apple replaces a single commission model with combinations of commissions, payment charges and technology-related fees. |
These are EU storefront changes, not a global opening of the App Store. Apple’s announcement covered both iOS and iPadOS; the updated installation experience for alternative marketplaces and web-distributed apps began with iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, according to Apple’s announcement.
Apple’s June 26, 2025 announcement describes the changes and says the Commission had requested additional adjustments.
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How the new distribution choices work
External links and promotion
The change is broader than adding a “buy on the web” button. Developers can communicate and promote offers whose destination may be outside the app, in another app, on a website or in an alternative marketplace. The exact entitlement, disclosure and business terms still matter.
Alternative payment processing
A developer can integrate a payment-service provider inside an EU-distributed app or direct the customer to a website. Apple says it charges no separate Apple payment-processing fee when the developer uses an alternative processor or web checkout. The developer still pays the processor and may owe Apple a commission under the alternative terms.
Alternative marketplaces
An alternative marketplace is a separate store that distributes apps from multiple developers. Apple requires authorization, notarization and technical integration with its security frameworks. This is not equivalent to installing unrestricted software with no platform controls. Marketplace operators also carry onboarding, content, security and support responsibilities.
Web distribution
Web distribution is different from a marketplace: a developer website distributes that developer’s own apps. Eligibility and Apple’s authorization, notarization, installation and business requirements apply, so not every EU developer can simply upload an iPhone app to a website.
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The fee structure is a stack, not one rate
Apple’s published EU documentation describes several coexisting choices. The figures below are the rates Apple lists for the relevant terms; they are not a universal effective price.
| Item | Apple’s stated treatment | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Standard commission | 17% | Qualifying digital-goods transactions under the standard EU App Store terms. |
| Small Business Program or qualifying subscriptions after year one | 10% | Only where the developer and transaction meet the applicable program rules. |
| Apple payment processing | Additional 3% | Applies when Apple processes the payment under the relevant terms. |
| External processor or website | No Apple payment-processing fee | Apple may still charge another commission; the external provider charges its own fee. |
| Core Technology Fee (CTF) | €0.50 per first annual install above one million | Applies under relevant alternative terms; Apple’s install definition covers several distribution and testing routes. |
| Core Technology Commission (CTC) | 5% | For certain digital-goods or digital-services sales promoted in an app through the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement for EU apps. |
Apple announced a plan to move toward a single EU business model by January 1, 2026, transitioning from the CTF to the CTC for digital goods and services. Because that was a future plan in the June 2025 announcement, developers should use Apple’s current addendum and fee tables—not the announcement alone—to determine the regime now in force.
Apple’s commission, fee and tax table and DMA support page are the authoritative places to check a particular app’s obligations.
Why “alternative payments” does not mean “no Apple fee”
The economic dispute is straightforward. A developer can avoid Apple’s payment-processing charge by using a web checkout or another processor, but Apple’s alternative terms can still charge for platform value or externally promoted sales. Apple says its fees compensate for distribution, discovery, review, security and notarization, developer tools and SDKs, APIs, TestFlight, commerce infrastructure and support—not only card processing.
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Critics answer that charging for a transaction Apple did not process weakens the economic purpose of payment choice. That is a policy argument, not a settled regulatory finding.
Worked decisions for different developers
Small subscription app
If the app has modest EU sales and relies on Apple billing, staying on the standard terms may avoid tax, refund, fraud and support work. A qualifying 10% rate can be operationally more valuable than a theoretically cheaper web checkout once engineering and administration are included.
Large subscription business with web commerce
A company that already operates a payment stack, tax processes and customer support can compare its external processor costs with Apple’s commission and processing fee. It must also model subscription migration, failed renewals, chargebacks, VAT and the effect on App Store conversion.
Game using an alternative marketplace
A game publisher can seek distribution in the App Store and a third-party store, but must account for marketplace onboarding, updates, support, security obligations and any marketplace-specific technology charges. Reaching users outside the App Store does not guarantee equal discovery.
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Marketplace operator
A marketplace has obligations beyond those of an ordinary app: developer verification, app intake, security processes, content policies, payments or links and ongoing operations. Apple says marketplace apps receive distinct treatment for the CTF, including a charge for each first annual install of the marketplace app.
App approaching one million installs
“One million installs” is not simply one million new customers. Apple’s definition of first annual install can include reinstalls, updates, restores, TestFlight, App Clips and installs through the App Store, marketplaces and a developer website. Use Apple’s CTF definition and App Store Connect estimate tools before choosing terms.
What EU users may notice
- Alternative app marketplaces and, for eligible apps, website installation flows.
- External purchase links and different warning or confirmation screens.
- Billing, refunds, cancellations, invoices and payment disputes handled by the developer or its payment provider when the purchase is external.
- Different support for family sharing, gifts, child purchases, account recovery and failed renewals.
- Availability that varies by app, marketplace, payment provider, country and device software version.
An app can be legally available through an alternative route without offering the same App Store search placement, editorial exposure, update experience or user familiarity.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why developers and critics remain skeptical
Fees may preserve the old economic leverage
Critics describe a commission on external payments as a “tax” on competitors. Apple describes it as compensation for platform technology and services. The Commission must decide whether the structure gives payment and distribution choice real commercial value.
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Complexity favors larger companies
The outcome depends on distribution channel, payment processor, install counts, subscription status, tax treatment and program eligibility. Smaller developers may need legal, accounting and engineering help simply to compare the options.
Permission is not equal competition
Third-party stores may not receive App Store-level discovery, reviews, family-sharing integration or customer trust. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has argued that Apple’s search, update, support and family-sharing arrangements disadvantage alternatives; those are advocacy claims, not established Commission findings. Contemporary coverage records that criticism.
User friction still matters
Apple has historically used warnings and additional steps for installations and purchases outside the App Store. The 2025 package relaxed some restrictions, but “allowed” does not necessarily mean as easy or familiar as Apple billing. The actual flow depends on the iOS or iPadOS version and the marketplace or website involved.
Apple’s case for the model
Apple says the alternative terms separate the value of payment processing from distribution, security, software tools and platform technology. It estimates that more than 99% of developers would reduce or maintain their fees and that fewer than 1% would pay the CTF under its alternative EU terms. Those are Apple’s estimates, not independent Commission conclusions.
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Three events should not be confused:
- Apple announces a compliance plan.
- Apple publishes and implements developer terms.
- The European Commission determines whether those terms satisfy the DMA.
The June 2025 announcement represented the first two steps, not a finding of compliance. The Commission’s assessment, informed by developers and other market participants, is the decisive test of whether Apple’s fees, technical controls and user experience provide genuine choice.
A practical checklist before changing terms
- Confirm whether the app needs alternative distribution or only external promotion.
- Compare Apple’s commission and processing fee with the external provider’s fees, fraud tools and chargebacks.
- Calculate VAT, invoicing, refunds, subscription cancellation and customer-support costs.
- Use Apple’s install definition and estimates; do not count only first-time customers.
- Model App Store discovery, conversion, retention and update reach if users move to another store.
- Check whether the app, payment provider and marketplace support every EU country and target device version.
- Read the current Alternative EU Terms Addendum before signing.
- Document how to switch back: Apple says returning to standard terms is conditional, including restrictions where alternative distribution or payment options have already been used.
Does this satisfy the DMA?
Apple has moved iOS and iPadOS in the EU from an effectively single-channel model toward conditional, multi-channel distribution and payments. That is a substantial change for developers and users. It is not, however, a clean uncoupling of Apple from app commerce: Apple retains authorization, notarization, security, platform rules and several ways to charge for transactions or installs. Whether those safeguards and fees are legitimate platform compensation or preserve the control the DMA was meant to challenge remains for the European Commission to determine.
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