Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., speaks at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California, USA, on Monday, June 4, 2018.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Apple said Wednesday that some apps will be allowed to provide a link to their websites to ask users to sign up for a subscription.
Previously, Apple banned app makers from directing users to subscribe through a website, for example, to sign up for a service like Spotify or Netflix. Instead, developers turned to Apple’s own revenue, which accounts for between 15% and 30% of gross sales.
The rule does not apply to all transactions through the App Store. Purchases built into game-oriented apps will need to use Apple’s payment system. But so-called “reading apps” that link to content subscriptions can now offer a service without offering a managed subscription through Apple.
The problem is one of the main complaints from developers who say Apple’s App Store has anti-competitive practices. These include Spotify, whose complaint was a factor in the European Union’s decision to say Apple is violating competition rules.
Apple said the decision was made as part of an agreement with Japan’s Fair Trade Commission, but that it was implementing the new rule globally.