The revised rules, set to be implemented this autumn, will ease restrictions on developers' ability to promote external offers within iOS apps. Now, developers can inform users about offers available beyond their websites, including on other apps and marketplaces, without having to use Apple-mandated templates.
In a move that seems more like a money grab than a concession, Jobs' Mob has also introduced a new fee structure for purchases made through external links. An "Initial Acquisition Fee" of five per cent will apply to new users' first-year purchases, while a "Store Services Fee" of ten per cent (or five per cent for smaller developers) will be charged on subsequent transactions. These changes replace the controversial Core Technology Fee, which upset the EU.
Unsurprisingly, Spotify and Epic Games are not impressed. Spotify has slammed the new plan as "unacceptable," arguing it disregards DMA requirements. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney went further, calling it "malicious compliance" involving "junk fees."