Apple overhauls its EU App Store fees, loosens rules for alternative app stores

苹果重构欧盟 App Store 收费模式，放宽第三方应用商店准入规则

Apple on Tuesday announced a simplified commission structure for apps in the European Union in an effort to resolve its disagreements with the European Commission over the tech giant’s business terms. Under the new model, Apple will replace its per-install Core Technology Fee with a flat 5% commission on digital goods in apps distributed outside the App Store or on the web.

苹果公司周二宣布简化欧盟地区应用的佣金结构，旨在解决其与欧盟委员会在商业条款上的分歧。根据新模式，苹果将取消按安装量收费的“核心技术费”（Core Technology Fee），转而对在 App Store 之外或通过网页分发的应用内数字商品收取 5% 的统一佣金。

Apple also adjusted its rates for alternative payments and for its own in-app purchases, and made it easier for developers to open alternative app stores. The changes mark Apple’s latest attempt to create App Store business terms that comply with EU regulations, after years of back-and-forth with regulators over the terms’ complexity and fairness.

苹果还调整了替代支付方式及其自身应用内购买的费率，并降低了开发者开设第三方应用商店的门槛。在与监管机构就条款的复杂性和公平性进行了多年博弈后，这些调整标志着苹果为使其 App Store 商业条款符合欧盟法规所做的最新尝试。

The tech giant had adjusted its App Store fees in the EU last year after regulators fined Apple €500 million for noncompliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and threatened further fines. In doing so, Apple presented a more complex fee structure, which critics called an example of “malicious compliance.” The old structure included an initial acquisition fee, store services fees, and different tiers of service based on developers’ needs.

去年，在监管机构因苹果不符合欧盟《数字市场法案》（DMA）而对其处以 5 亿欧元罚款并威胁进一步处罚后，苹果曾调整过欧盟地区的 App Store 收费标准。当时苹果提出的收费结构更为复杂，被批评者称为“恶意合规”的典型。旧结构包括初始获取费、商店服务费以及根据开发者需求划分的不同服务层级。

Now Apple is presenting its latest revision, highlighted by a flat commission of 5% on transactions in apps distributed outside the App Store, either through alternative app marketplaces or the web. Meanwhile, the new terms set Apple’s in-app purchase fees at 26%, compared with 30% under its traditional terms.

现在，苹果推出了最新的修订方案，其核心亮点是对在 App Store 之外（通过第三方应用市场或网页）分发的应用交易收取 5% 的统一佣金。同时，新条款将苹果的应用内购买费率设定为 26%，而其传统条款下的费率为 30%。

Most developers will still qualify for the discounted 15% fee, however, through special programs such as the App Store Small Business Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, and Video Partner Program, and for apps with auto-renewing subscriptions after their first year, Apple said. In addition, apps using alternative payment processing will pay a 20% commission unless they’re in one of the special programs, in which case the rate will drop to 10%.

苹果表示，大多数开发者仍可通过“App Store 小型企业计划”、“小程序合作伙伴计划”和“视频合作伙伴计划”等特殊项目，以及针对订阅满一年后的自动续订应用，继续享受 15% 的优惠费率。此外，使用替代支付处理的应用需支付 20% 的佣金，除非它们属于上述特殊项目，在这种情况下费率将降至 10%。

Apple also noted that developers will be locked into their chosen payment options for 12 months, whether they use Apple’s in-app purchases, external payments, or a combination of the two. The company also carves out exceptions for developers allowed to use external links inside their apps, barring such links from apps in the Kids category for safety purposes. Users under 18 years old will also need parental approval before making purchases outside the App Store.

苹果还指出，无论开发者选择使用苹果的应用内购买、外部支付还是两者结合，一旦选定，该支付选项将锁定 12 个月。该公司还对允许在应用内使用外部链接的开发者设定了例外情况，出于安全考虑，禁止在“儿童”类别的应用中使用此类链接。此外，18 岁以下的用户在 App Store 之外进行购买前，需要获得家长的批准。

Notably, the new rules loosen the requirements for developers to operate an alternative app store, permitting marketplaces that meet certain financial stability bars. Previously, Apple required developers to either prove they had significant financial backing or show that they had been in Apple’s Developer Program for at least two years and had an app with more than 1 million first annual installs in the EU in the previous calendar year.

值得注意的是，新规则放宽了开发者运营第三方应用商店的要求，允许满足特定财务稳定性标准的市场准入。此前，苹果要求开发者要么证明拥有雄厚的财务支持，要么证明已加入苹果开发者计划至少两年，且在上一日历年内其应用在欧盟地区的首次年度安装量超过 100 万次。

Now Apple doesn’t require developers to show they’ve met those milestones (though that’s still an option), and it’s added other ways to demonstrate financial backing, including public company status, financial audits, qualifying VC funding, and more.

现在，苹果不再要求开发者必须达到上述里程碑（尽管这仍然是一种可选方式），并增加了其他证明财务支持的途径，包括上市公司身份、财务审计、符合条件的风险投资资金等。