Apple has extended a deadline for in-app fees for online events through June of next year, a posting on a developer site says.
The original date for the requirement was to be December of 2020, but that has now been extended to June 2021.
The release notes that apps are supposed to offer all paid online group app experiences through the App Store, but the company recognizes that “adapting experiences from in-person to digital continues to be a top priority,” according to the release.
“To allow additional time for developing in-app purchase solutions, this deadline has been extended to June 30, 2021,” the release says.
The release also notes that the company policy allows for real-time person-to-person experiences, including things like tutoring for students, medical consultations, real estate tours and fitness training, with other payment methods outside the App Store’s.
Apple has softened its stance on commissions leveled at smaller firms selling things on the App Store, reducing the cut from 30 percent to 15 percent, PYMNTS reports.
The company has made it so app developers making less than $1 million a year after commission could participate in a program to cut the rates. The halved commission rate will apply to paid app revenue and in-app purchases, and the company said most of the 28 million registered app-focused developers on its platform would apply for it. For those making more than $1 million a year, the old structure still remains in place.
Apple’s recent concessions can be seen as ways for the company to keep smaller businesses on board and to keep its higher rates for larger companies that can bear the cost.
This move comes after Apple’s September move to temporarily suspend its normal 30 percent assessment fees on what Facebook calls “Paid Online Events,” or ways for smaller businesses to make money after the pandemic made it near impossible to sell tickets to events. When Facebook told users of that 30 percent fee, it reportedly drew the anger of Apple officials.
Read more: https://www.pymnts.com/apple/2020/apple-delays-in-app-online-event-fee-requirement-until-june/
