Apple has updated its EU App Store developer terms, a move the company framed as compliance with the European Commission's Digital Markets Act ruling from earlier in 2025. The new terms relax some of the limits on alternative payments and external links, but they also introduce a new commission on external transactions and a two-tier fee structure for developers.
The shift is reported by Mobile Dev Memo and tracks the EC's April determination that Apple had violated the DMA under its January 2024 and August 2024 rule sets. A separate investigation into contractual terms, including the Core Technology Fee, is still open.
The short version:
- Developers in eligible categories can now connect users to offers on their own destinations.
- Multiple in-app links are permitted, including with parameters and intermediate redirects.
- A 5% Core Technology Commission applies to all external transactions.
- A two-tier fee structure splits developers into higher and lower service plans.
- The static Core Technology Fee is set to migrate to the CTC by January 1, 2026.
What changed for eligible developers
Developers who qualify for external purchase eligibility can now "communicate and promote offers of purchases available on the destination of their choice." Acceptable destinations include websites, alternative app marketplaces, or other apps, and they can be reached via in-app web views or out-of-app browsers.
Multiple links are now allowed, including with parameters, referrers, and intermediate landing pages. The previous limit was a single link, with no parameters. The "scare screen" that warned users the link was leaving Apple can now be suppressed by the user after their first click, per app.
These are real loosening, on paper. They put the developer in closer control of the off-app funnel than the previous policy allowed.
The new fee structure
Two changes matter most. First, the Core Technology Commission (CTC), a 5% fee on all external transactions, replaces the previous per-purchase revenue model for external links. Second, Apple has introduced a two-tier structure:
Tier 1 is the default and includes Apple's full suite of App Store features (custom product pages, app analytics, ratings and reviews, and so on).
Tier 2 includes a smaller set of features and carries a lower commission.
Both tiers remain subject to the Core Technology Fee for the first million annual installs (including reinstalls). Apple has said that from January 1, 2026, all developers will move to the single CTC-only model and the static CTF will be retired.
Apple's EU-specific commission calculator has been removed from its site per Mobile Dev Memo, although the reference is still indexed by Google. The removal lines up with the architecture change, which makes the previous calculator irrelevant.
Why this matters
The Core Technology Commission is the part developers will feel first. Five percent of every external transaction, on top of payment processing costs, is a non-trivial change for anyone running a subscription or one-off purchase funnel outside the App Store.
The two-tier structure is more interesting than it looks. Most developers will pick Tier 1 by default. Tier 2 is the escape hatch for those who do not use Apple's analytics and ratings tools, and it is the price lever Apple expects to be pulled quietly.
For regulators, the bigger question is whether the EC accepts this as compliance. Per Mobile Dev Memo's reading, the EC may be weighing a lighter DMA enforcement stance amid broader trade talks with the US. That could mute the regulatory risk for Apple's new terms, even as the underlying pressure on the company continues.
Our analysis
The biggest upside for developers is the loosening of link and parameter rules. Multiple destinations, referrers, and intermediate pages make web-style funnels workable for the first time on iOS in the EU. That is a real change.
The biggest downside is the 5% CTC. Five percent on top of payment processing, plus the static CTF for the first million installs, means that the cost of going external in the EU is still higher than the rest of the web. Many developers will keep Apple IAP for simplicity and skip the new path.
Who benefits: subscription-heavy apps with mature web checkout, where the saved Apple IAP cut outweighs the CTC plus payment fees.
Who loses: indie developers with small transaction volumes, who cannot justify the operational complexity of running a parallel web funnel.
What to watch:
- Whether the EC accepts the change as sufficient, or opens the next phase of the investigation.
- How many developers actually take the external-link path; Mobile Dev Memo's read is "a few, mostly the largest."
- Whether other regions (UK, Japan) follow with their own DMA-style rules.
A worked example: a streaming app with a European audience
Say you run a streaming app popular in Germany. Today, the sign-up is all in-app via Apple IAP, paying Apple its standard cut. With the new terms, you can put a website link inside the app and let users pay you directly.
You save Apple's standard cut on those transactions. You pay the 5% CTC plus payment processing. You accept the operational complexity of running a web subscription engine in parallel with iOS IAP. For a high-volume app, that math works. For a low-volume app, it does not.
The simplest test: build the link, measure conversion, and decide. Most apps will not pivot fast; the winners are the ones that can ship a parallel funnel in a quarter.
Bottom line
The new EU terms are looser on links and tighter on commissions. Until the EC rules on whether this counts as compliance, expect most developers to keep Apple IAP for simplicity and watch the legal weather.
Key takeaways
- Multiple links with parameters and intermediate redirects are now allowed.
- A 5% CTC applies to all external transactions made via Apple-linked destinations.
- Apple has split the developer fee structure into two tiers with different feature sets.
- The Core Technology Fee migrates into the CTC by January 1, 2026.
- The EC's response, and US-EU trade talks, will decide whether this stands.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Core Technology Commission?
It is a 5% commission Apple now applies to all external transactions made under the new EU developer terms.
When does the Core Technology Fee get retired?
Apple has said all developers will move to the CTC-only model on January 1, 2026, retiring the static Core Technology Fee.
Can EU developers now link to their own websites?
Yes, eligible developers can promote offers on a destination of their choice, including their own websites, with multiple links and parameters.
What did the European Commission rule in April 2025?
The EC found that Apple violated the DMA under its January 2024 and August 2024 App Store rule sets, with a separate investigation ongoing.
How does Apple's two-tier fee structure work?
Tier 1 is the default and includes Apple's full developer feature set. Tier 2 includes fewer features and a lower commission.