Apple changes the App Store to seek an agreement with the EU

The war of nerves between Apple and the European Commission continues. And in the last few hours, the Cupertino giant has decided to take another step towards Brussels' demands by changing - for European users - the App Store. The Californian manufacturer, in fact, has announced a plan to reform its app shop in an attempt to respond to pressure from the European Union after the €500 million fine imposed last April for alleged violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The proposal, announced at the end of weeks of tight negotiations with Brussels, aims to ease the economic and operational burden on third-party developers who want to direct users towards payment systems outside the Apple ecosystem. A significant opening, even if Cupertino does not give up the hard line: "We do not agree with the outcome of this procedure and we will appeal," said the company, which in any case has until 7 July to appeal to the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

As for the announced changes, they will basically give European developers more freedom in promoting alternative payment options. Ergo: no longer the obligation to pay for in-app content via the App Store (with the resulting commissions in favour of Apple), but also the possibility of doing so via links to websites, or alternative stores. Furthermore, Apple will no longer impose constraints on the language to be used in such promotions, one of the key demands of European regulators.

The commission structure will also change. According to Apple, under the new terms, the costs for developers will be lower than in the past. The sum of the 'acquisition fee' and the 'store service fee' will not exceed 15 per cent, with most developers - according to the company - paying an effective commission of around 10 per cent. This is a clear reduction from the maximum 30% previously envisaged for standard transactions on the App Store. That 30 per cent triggered the fury of the video game producer EpicGames a few years ago, from whose grievances a legal dispute arose that also seems to have had an effect on the EU decisions.