Apple is changing the way it treats small developers next year, cutting that in half It charges 30% commission through sales through the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Mac. The 15% commission applies to companies with revenues of up to $ 1 million per calendar year.
"The savings mean that small businesses and developers have even more resources to invest in their businesses, grow their workforce and develop new, innovative features for app users around the world," Apple said in a statement. The program begins January 1, 2021 and is based on one developer's sales that year.
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Apple said it picked $ 1 million because internal studies showed that apps tended to be more successful when they hit that amount. And if a developer falls below this amount, they can re-qualify for the program.
Apple's steps come after years of Debate among its 28 million app developerswho were reluctant to take iPhone maker's commissions as the digital storefront expanded to include more than 1.5 billion active devices. Apple has also called for the only way to download sanctioned iPhone and iPad apps via the App Store. For many developers, Apple's persistent approach is hindering their business.
Apple charges a 30% commission on all app sales since the App Store launched in 2008one year later the first iPhone debuted. Apple also charges up to 30% for in-app purchases of digital goods such as extra lives to play a game, a new look for your character, or a subscription to a language learning app. Also, developers must submit their apps for review to ensure they are safe and meet editorial guidelines on topics such as nudity and harassment.
For developers, the enormous app economy, to which Apple has tied more than half a trillion dollars, pays off in the end. Apple users are generally more willing to pay for apps too.
"The App Store has been a driver of economic growth like no other, creating millions of new jobs and a path to entrepreneurship accessible to anyone with a great idea," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "Our new program is driving this advancement - it helps developers fund their small businesses, take risks for new ideas, grow their teams, and continue to build apps that enrich people's lives."
Vacuum
Not only have developers complained about Apple's commissions, some have backed off. Mainly Epic Games, the developer of the successful Battle Royale game Fourteen days, sued Apple in August over its commission structure.
Epic itself calculated 12% Fee for games that are sold through its own marketplace. According to Epic, the commission amount is fairer so that the company can make money and give the game makers more money for feedback on development.
For many industry watchers, the battle between Epic and Apple is a battle for money between a billion dollar company and a billion dollar company. However, for some, it's a more dramatic example of a long-standing problem that Apple is facing.
David Barnard The longtime freelance independent developer based in Texas estimates that Apple's commissions for its apps have totaled approximately $ 750,000 over the past 12 years. "Would I have liked to put that into a retirement account? Sure," he said. "But I would have probably invested that back in the apps - hired more developers and so on."
Barnard is also a developer attorney at the RevenueCat app sales platform, where he meets and meets many other developer companies. He believes Apple's strict app review process causes more problems for developers than the company's commission.
Still, he said if Apple gives developers more money it could help companies get started. It could even allow some developers to come up with new app ideas that they would otherwise have turned down because they couldn't get the business up and running under Apple's fees, he said.
But he also suspects that it wouldn't make much difference to others.
"If you can't get the economics working when Apple takes 30% off the top selling digital trinkets in a game, you have different problems," he said.
