Apple's New EU App Store Rules: The Big Shifts
From October 1, 2026, Apple is moving all developers distributing apps in the European Union to a single set of business terms, ending a period of confusion caused by overlapping policies and disputes with the European Commission.
As reported by The Verge, these rules change how apps are distributed, which payment providers can be used, and, critically, how much it costs to reach users in Europe.
For businesses building or marketing apps targeting EU consumers, the new Apple App Store EU rules reshape both the economics and the compliance landscape. The headline changes are:
Developers may now distribute iOS apps via third-party marketplaces or directly from their own website (web distribution) in the EU.
App payments may use Apple's in-app purchase system, an alternative payment provider inside the app, or links to complete purchases externally.
A simplified fee structure replaces per-install charges for large-scale apps with a percentage-based “Core Technology Commission”.
Expanded eligibility for operating alternative marketplaces or web distribution.
The effect is a system designed to comply with Europe's Digital Markets Act (DMA), while still keeping Apple at the centre of transactions involving iOS devices in the region.
Commission Rates and Core Technology Fees Explained
The economic impact of these changes sits at the heart of developer decisions. For iOS apps on the App Store that use Apple's payment system, a 26 percent commission applies. If developers choose an alternative payment provider inside their app, this drops to 20 percent.
Linking out to external sites attracts a 15 percent commission on those purchases. Lower rates exist for those in special programmes such as the Small Business Program or Video Partner Program.
If an app uses web distribution or is sold via a third-party marketplace instead of (or alongside) the App Store, Apple now levies a 5 percent Core Technology Commission on digital transactions made through these channels. As The Verge details, this replaces earlier per-download and acquisition fees that had caused significant concern among high-volume app publishers.
For comparison across other Apple platforms, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS and watchOS, using an external payment processor or linking out results in a three percent discount on commission owed.
New Channels: Alternative Marketplaces and Web Distribution
The DMA requires Apple to allow genuine alternatives to its own App Store. Developers can now distribute notarised iOS and iPadOS apps from approved alternative marketplaces or directly from their website within the EU.
According to Apple Developer documentation, notarisation involves automated checks plus human review focused on security and platform integrity before an app can be listed via any channel.
Operating an alternative app marketplace requires meeting at least one eligibility criterion such as being publicly traded, having significant venture funding, passing a financial audit by a licensed accountant, holding a standby letter of credit worth $1 million or more, being a government/nonprofit entity approved for fee waiver, or reaching one million annual installs globally.
This marks an expansion over previous requirements that limited eligibility mainly to established companies with entities inside the EU.
The result is that mid-sized developers who can demonstrate stability have more pathways into marketplace operation than before, but small studios are likely still excluded by financial thresholds.
User Choice and Payment Flexibility
Under pressure from regulators and after lengthy discussions with the Commission (read more here), users can now easily uninstall software applications on iOS devices, set their preferred browser from a choice screen upon first launching Safari after updates, and access apps from sources beyond Apple's own store.
This flexibility comes with technical requirements: developers must commit to their chosen payment options (e.g., whether they use Apple In-App Purchase or alternatives) for twelve months at a time. The goal is consistent user experience but it does mean reduced agility if you want to experiment with monetisation models based on changing user behaviour during the year.
You'll also need to make sure that any purchase flows using non-Apple processors are placed behind parental gates if your app serves children under specific age thresholds, and some types of out-of-app offers aren't permitted for these age groups under the updated child safety guidance.
The End of Per-Install Fees (and What Replaces Them)
Prior to these new rules taking effect, large-scale developers faced so-called “Core Technology Fees”, per-install charges once annual downloads topped one million, that drew sharp criticism from both industry groups and regulators (The Verge covers this change here).
Starting October 2026, those install-based fees disappear; instead, all digital transactions processed outside Apple's storefronts are subject to a flat 5 percent cut payable as part of the Core Technology Commission.
This makes fee calculation simpler but potentially shifts costs depending on how heavily your business depends on direct sales versus free installs followed by in-app purchases.
For many businesses focused on higher-value transactions rather than scale installs alone, overall costs may stabilise, or even drop compared to variable fees stacking up each time users reinstalled an app across multiple devices annually.
User Experience Impacts: Security and Support Considerations
Photo by Uday Veeru on Pexels
The DMA-driven changes create technical opportunities but also introduce risk vectors not present when everything flows through Apple's controlled ecosystem.
With alternate payment routes or non-App-Store installs comes less ability for Apple to refund users who encounter issues, or help resolve problems involving fraud or scams outside its platform (full announcement here).
Features like Family Sharing and Ask To Buy don't extend outside transactions processed through official In-App Purchase.
Notarisation adds some baseline protection against malware or misrepresentation even in web-distributed apps, but businesses must be ready for extra disclosures about external payments both within product pages and during onboarding flows.
For smaller organisations without compliance teams already familiar with European consumer protection law or privacy standards, adapting onboarding screens and customer service workflows may require new investment just to stay compliant.
Commission Scrutiny Continues: Ongoing Regulatory Risk
The European Commission has left open non-compliance investigations into whether Apple's “steering” restrictions, and new fees themselves, fully meet DMA requirements (more detail here). This ongoing scrutiny means there could be further shifts affecting how much flexibility developers get when promoting offers off-platform or negotiating terms for third-party marketplaces in future updates.
Navigating Compliance as a Developer or Business
If you're targeting EU users going forward:
Expect upfront review steps for any app distributed outside Apple's main store, plan development timelines accordingly.
Use Apple-provided fee calculators where available to estimate effective commission rates across different channels and platforms before launching campaigns or promotions (see business terms breakdown here).
If you serve children under 18 or offer educational products, prepare your UX teams for additional gating logic around alternative payments, not just standard age checks but full flows placing certain features behind guardian approval layers where required by country-specific consent thresholds.
The Commercial Upshot for International Businesses
Your choices around which payment provider to use, and whether you rely solely on App Store distribution or blend it with web-based options, now require close cost-benefit analysis rather than defaulting to one commercial model across all markets.
With fewer hurdles in establishing third-party marketplaces (assuming moderate financial strength), regional brands may finally gain viable access routes onto user devices without always relying on global publisher intermediaries or expending resources contesting restrictive policies case-by-case.
Cover photo by Image Hunter on Pexels
