Apple announced on August 18, 2026 it has revised its European app distribution, payment, and tracking rules after sustained regulatory pressure across the region.
The changes introduce unified developer terms, lower some commissions, and adjust privacy consent requirements. The new App Store business terms will take effect across the European Union on October 1.
Unified EU App Store terms
Apple will move EU developers onto one business framework covering App Store distribution and alternative channels. The tech giant will replace its Core Technology Fee with a 5% Core Technology Commission, which will apply to digital transactions in apps distributed outside the App Store.
Apps using Apple In-App Purchase will face a standard commission of 26%, while eligible smaller developers and qualifying subscription businesses will instead pay a reduced 15% rate. Apps using alternative payment processing will carry commissions of 20% or 10%.
Apple has described its own checkout option as “the safest, most trusted way” for users to pay inside apps.
Developers linking users to external websites for purchases will pay commissions of 15% or 10%, and Apple will charge 5% for apps distributed through alternative marketplaces or directly through websites. The company will also remove the initial acquisition fee and store services fee.
Not everyone is convinced the changes are far enough, however. The Coalition for App Fairness, the developer advocate group co-founded by Epic Games and Spotify, said Apple missed a chance to rebuild trust with developers and regulators alike, and has called the EU lawmakers to revisit the Digital Markets Acts to guarantee genuine competition.
Epic Games went further, arguing that “Apple’s terms deliberately violate the Digital Markets Act,” despite the European Commission’s sign-off on the new structure.
Payment choice and child protections expansions
Apple will now let developers offer its payment system alongside alternative payment methods within the same app. Developers previously faced tighter restrictions when combining those payment options in European Union markets, but selected payment methods must remain unchanged for 12 months after developers choose their preferred structure.
Apple will also impose additional safeguards for younger users when apps rely on external payment systems. Apps within the Kids Category, for one, can no longer include links directing children to websites for purchases.
Users under 18 will also encounter parental gates before completing transactions through alternative payment methods.
Apps serving users under 13 cannot link to outside websites for transaction completion at all, and EU member states with higher parental-consent ages can apply those protections to older children, too. These requirements aim to maintain payment safeguards while developers receive broader payment flexibility.
Tracking rules change
Apple will separately change its App Tracking Transparency rules following an investigation by Germany’s Federal Cartel Office. Regulators found different consent presentations between Apple’s own services and third-party apps.
The authority said those differences could create unfair conditions for competing app developers.
“It is key that personal data and privacy are protected effectively when using apps,” said Andreas Mundt, president of the Bundeskartellamt, the German Federal Cartel Office, in a statement. He added that Apple cannot design its own consent prompts to be more favorable than those it requires of competitors.
Under the commitments, Apple must redesign third-party consent prompts using neutral language and presentation. Developers will also receive greater flexibility when combining tracking requests with separate data-protection consent notices.
The company has four months to implement the changes after authorities formally serve the decision.
The commitments will remain in force for seven years and will involve independent monitoring. France previously fined Apple €150 million over related concerns, while Italy imposed a €98.6 million penalty.
