Apple lets some apps use their own payment method for in-app purchases

Apple allows Amazon, Altice One and Canal+ to use their own payment method when users make in-app purchases. Until now, the manufacturer always charged 15 to 30 percent of the purchase amount for in-app purchases via the App Store and forced the use of its own payment system.

It is a measure that has been in existence for some time and now Amazon has also been using it since Wednesday, Apple informs Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. This means that the price level of the in-app purchases within those three apps is at the same level as on the web; many services pass on the costs to consumers for using Apple’s payment platform, so that prices for services and subscriptions are often higher in an iOS app than elsewhere on the web.

Based on a statement from Apple, The Verge reports that this measure only applies to individual purchases and not to subscriptions. This means that, for example, purchasing or renting a film or series via Prime Video is covered, but not purchasing a subscription to this streaming service.

According to Bloomberg, this is a deal whereby Apple will allow services to use its own payment platform and then those apps will support, among other things, AirPlay 2, integrate Siri, come on tvOS and have their offerings included in Apple’s universal video search function. It is unknown whether many more apps can now set their own payment method in apps.

Spotify complained to the European Commission last year about Apple’s policy regarding the App Store. The music service complained not only about the high percentage, but also the fact that, in addition to the App Store, Apple also makes competing services, such as music service Apple Music and video streaming service TV+.