Steph Deschamps / September 3, 2021
Apple will allow some mobile applications to include a link to their website, where users will be able to manage their account and pay their subscription, a major change of attitude from the tech giant, cornered on all sides on the competition front.
The group presented this upcoming change in the rules of the App Store, the app download platform, as its solution to end an investigation by the Japanese competition authority, according to a statement released Wednesday.
The update will allow developers of 'reading' apps to include a link to their website, says Apple.
From the beginning of 2022, streaming services, book apps, newspapers and other media will be able to escape the 15 or 30% commission levied by the iPhone manufacturer and nicknamed Apple tax by its many critics.
It covers app sales in the App Store and purchases of digital goods and services within those apps.
Apple has always defended the closed operation of its application store as necessary to ensure the security of transactions and also of user data.
But the Apple brand is facing lawsuits launched by various companies and authorities around the world. They accuse it of abusing its dominant position by imposing the App Store as a mandatory intermediary between them and their users. And also of taking too high commissions.
After years of sticking to its guns, Apple is now making more concessions.
Last week, the group already announced that it would allow publishers to offer their customers payment methods outside the App Store, notifying them by email.