New App Store Rules in the EU: Developer Tiers and Replacing CTF with Another Levy
Apple has decided to update the App Store policy for European Union countries to better comply with the Digital Markets Act. Below is a brief overview of the key updates.
The corporation announced that developers can more freely redirect European App Store users to make microtransactions outside the store — to other app stores, websites, and so on. However, there are some nuances.
Specifically, Apple will now charge three different fees in the EU:
1. an initial fee for purchases — 2% from purchases made within six months from the user's first app download;
2. a service fee — 5% or 13% from purchases made within a year from the last app download or update release. The fee amount depends on the developer tier (more on that below);
3. a Core Technology Commission (CTC) — 5% from purchases outside the App Store. This will gradually replace the current Core Technology Fee (CTF). Developers who previously agreed to the CTF will continue to pay it for now, but from January 1, 2026, they will likely switch to the CTC.
Additionally, Apple has introduced a developer tier system in the European App Store, which consists of two tiers.
- The first tier includes developers whose apps allow purchases outside of the App Store. They pay a lower commission. For example, the service fee for them is 5%. However, their App Store functionality is limited. They don't have access to automatic app updates, the ability to respond to user reviews, and many promotional tools in the store.
- Developers in the second tier have access to all App Store features, but their service fee is 13%.
More details on these and other changes can be found in the Apple documentation.