Because of Covid-19, Apple continues to relax with the charge on the App Store

On Monday, Apple announced that it will extend the deadline for the iPhone policy to allow online classroom applications and virtual events on the iPhone to not use Apple’s in-app payment system until June 2021. This means that the above app can charge customers directly without paying Apple a 30% commission.

Before that, Apple has made this policy last September and has a deadline ending at the end of December this year. Extending the deadline until June 2021 will give businesses more time to host paid online events instead of person-to-person events with no 30% commission.

In its post on its website, Apple said the Covid-19 pandemic was the cause of its move: “As the world is still fighting Covid-19, we find that approvals shift from The digital-to-human experience continues to be a top priority. ”

According to Apple’s policy, apps like video streaming and online classes will have to pay through Apple’s in-app purchase system and incur a 30% commission, but this begins to change after complaints. Facebook complaints.

At the time, Facebook introduced paid online event planning on its platform and included a warning saying that 30% of revenue from these paid events would go to Apple. Then, Facebook also criticized Apple, arguing that, during the current Covid-19 pandemic, that fee was an amount that was necessary for these businesses and prompted Apple to introduce a free-of-charge policy. for such applications.

The move continues to be a step towards mitigating criticism of Apple’s policies over the App Store, arguing that the iPhone-making giant’s control of the platform and the fees imposed. Up it is non-competitive.

A few days ago, Apple announced that it would reduce commissions by 15% for app developers with revenue of less than $ 1 million on Apple platforms from early 2021.

Recent App Store policy changes indicate that Apple is tending to ease the charge on its platform. Reasons may come from developer pressure or a legal battle with Epic that is attracting the attention of regulators, as well as an antitrust investigation in Europe.

While the aforementioned cuts make up only a tiny fraction of Apple’s revenue for apps and the company’s overall revenue, perhaps these easing measures won’t drag on Apple. long too long.

Consult CNBC