Apple has long mandated use of its in-app payment system,
which charges commissions of up 30 percent that some developers like Tinder
owner Match Group have argued are too high.
The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) last
year ruled that Apple's rules violated Dutch competition laws in the dating app
market and required Apple to allow those developers to use third-party payment
processors.
Investors are watching the developments in the Dutch
antitrust case for the impact they could have on Apple's App Store revenues,
the biggest component of its $68.4 billion services business.
Under the rules, Apple said dating app developers will still
have to pay it commissions for sales made outside of its in-app payment system,
though it will give them a slight discount. Apple had previously said
developers who were paying its 30 percent commission rate would owe it a 27
percent commission.
But some developers already pay Apple a lower 15 percent
commission rate when they meet certain criteria such as retaining subscription
customers for more than a year.
Apple's previous rules did not make clear whether those
developers would also get a discount when using third-party payment services.
Apple on Friday said those developers will pay a 12 percent commission when
using outside payment systems.
Apple on Friday also said that Dutch authorities mandated
changes to how apps look when using third-party payments.
Apple's system will show users a warning that says the user
will have to contact the developer over payment problems such as asking for a
refund. Apple had originally included a button that would allow users to back
out of using the third-party payment option after being shown the warning, but
the iPhone maker said Friday that Dutch authorities had rejected that button.
"We don't believe some of these changes are in the best
interests of our users' privacy or data security," Apple said in a news
post. "As we've previously said, we disagree with the ACM's original order
and are appealing it." © Reuters