Apple has announced the changes it’s making to the iOS App Store in Japan in order to comply with recent legislation in the country. It will allow third-party app stores and payment processing options, though is introducing new commission fees for those transactions.
App Store apps will also now be permitted to use alternative payment options alongside Apple’s, or link out to websites where users can make purchases. Apple will still charge up to 21 percent per transaction for in-app purchases, with a 15 percent commission for digital goods bought through a website linked from the app.
Apple will include warnings to users when using third-party stores or alternative payment options. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney pointed to those warnings, and Apple’s commission fees, when confirming that Fortnite won’t yet return to iOS in Japan. Similar warnings and fees have been at issue in the US, where Apple recently lost an appeal in its ongoing antitrust dispute with Epic.
