Apple may charge developers fees for iPhone apps downloaded outside of App Store
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European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced Apple into giving up on its monopolistic behavior when it comes to distributing apps through the App Store. Come March, the company will have to allow sideloading of apps from sources beyond the App Store. Now, according to the latest report, the Cupertino tech firm has framed some rules for iPhone apps sideloading, including forcing developers to pay Apple for downloaded apps outside of the App Store.
According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal, Apple will also review apps downloaded outside of the App Store besides charging developers fees. Exactly how everything will be implemented is still in question. If the report is true, it’d surely be interesting to see how many developers agree with Apple’s sideloading rules.
There is no information on how much fees Apple will charge developers. The iPhone maker charges an annual fee of 99 USD and 299 USD for the Apple Developer Program and Apple Developer Enterprise Program, respectively. The company also earns a 30% commission for payments users make for subscribing to various services of that app platform. That commission can come down to 27% if developers decide to go with alternative payment methods instead of Apple’s in-house system. On top of all this, Apple might also launch another set of fee structures for developers who don’t wish to publish their apps on the App Store but want iPhone users to download their apps.
A few days ago, we also heard that Apple was working on two App Stores — one for the EU and the other for the rest of the world. If that’s the case, the alleged sideloading rule will only be applicable in the EU region.
