Apple changes rules to allow links to external payments in App Store apps
Apple has changed its rules for off-app purchases in response to the Epic Games ruling, allowing US App Store apps to link to external payments.
Apple has been found guilty of non-compliance and anti-competitive behavior in Epic Games over the terms of the App Store and anti-steering rules for external purchases originating from iPhone or iPad apps.
As a result of Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ incredibly scathing ruling spanning 80 pages, the iPhone maker has updated its App Review Guidelines covering the criteria used to screen submissions to permit US developers to link to external payments.
Updated App Store rules allow linking to external payments
“The App Review Guidelines have been updated for compliance with a United States court decision regarding buttons, external links and other calls to action in apps,” the company announced in a post on the Apple Developer website.
The following changes are new:
- Guideline 3.1.1: Apps on the United States storefront are not prohibited from including buttons, external links, or other calls to action when allowing users to browse NFT collections owned by others.
- Guideline 3.1.1(a): On the United States storefront, there is no prohibition on an app including buttons, external links, or other calls to action, and no entitlement is required to do so.
- Guideline 3.1.3: The prohibition on encouraging users to use a purchasing method other than in-app purchase does not apply to the United States storefront.
- Guideline 3.1.3(a): The External Link Account entitlement is not required for apps on the United States storefront to include buttons, external links, or other calls to action.
The above changes only affect iPhone and iPad apps distributed on the US App Store and apply to developers in the United States, for now.
Will these changes come to other countries?
Ultimately, it’s unsustainable to have different rules for different regions, meaning the changes could trickle down to other countries. Otherwise, developers will need to submit separate app builds to comply with both new and old restrictions. I’m sure this will happen sooner rather than later; the European Commission ordered the same changes recently, and Apple has a few weeks left to comply with that ruling.
On the other hand, we’ll see how this plays out. Apple has demonstrated an incredible willingness to do the absolute bare minimum in complying with injunctions, as its behavior has been consistent with that of a greedy multinational corporation.
Ultimately, though, the latest ruling gives developers the power to use cheaper payment services outside the App Store. The only thing Apple can, and should do, is compete with those services by relaxing the App Store’s terms of business to keep developers happy. And stop with the bean counting already!
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/05/02/apple-updates-app-review-guidelines-app-store-apps-external-payments/
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