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The tech giant Apple announced on Thursday that it will make changes to the company’s App Store to make it easier to pay for paid apps in ways other than through the App Store’s own system.
The company reports this according to the news agency Reuters.
This comes after the EU in June accused the company of violating the union’s new digital rules.
The dispute is about the way one pays for paid apps, for example on their iPhone or iPad.
Until now, if one, for instance, pays for a subscription to an app, such as the dating app Tinder or the streaming service Netflix, it happens through the App Store.
Apple charges a fee of 30 percent of the payment. For ongoing subscriptions, it drops to 15 percent of each payment after the first year.
Several app developers have tried to get their users to pay through channels other than Apple’s official App Store because of the fee.
According to the EU, Apple has made diligent efforts to limit developers from directing users to other payment methods.
Back in June, Margrethe Vestager, Vice-President of the European Commission, said that the Commission’s preliminary position was that “Apple does not allow full steering.”
“Steering is key to ensuring that app developers are less dependent on the gatekeepers’ app stores, and that consumers become aware of better deals, according to a press release.”
Now Apple says there will be changes in the App Store’s terms so that the virtual store complies with EU regulations.
It is not specified exactly which changes will be implemented, but Apple reports that it will henceforth charge developers a fee of five percent of sales made on their devices like iPhones and iPads.
This applies to purchases where one is directed out of the app and onto a website on their phone.
Google, which develops the Android phone system, also charges a fee of 30 percent for the sale of apps and purchases through its own app store, Play Store.
The difference from Apple, however, is that on an Android phone, one can download and install apps from places other than Google’s official app store. For example, they can be downloaded through one’s internet browser.