Apple squashes EU beef with new App Store rules

苹果通过新的 App Store 规则平息欧盟争议

Apple is once again overhauling App Store rules in the European Union, which the company says will resolve its “disagreements with the Commission over business terms and alternative distribution.” As part of the changes, every developer that distributes apps will be moved to a single set of business terms, and digital transactions for apps distributed outside of the App Store will be subject to a Core Technology Commission fee of 5 percent.

苹果公司再次对其欧盟地区的 App Store 规则进行全面调整，公司称此举将解决其“与欧盟委员会在商业条款和替代分发方式上的分歧”。作为变更的一部分，所有分发应用程序的开发者将被统一纳入一套商业条款之下；对于在 App Store 之外分发的应用程序，其数字交易将需缴纳 5% 的核心技术佣金（Core Technology Commission fee）。

The new terms go into effect on October 1st. They will include a 26 percent commission for App Store apps that use Apple’s in-app purchase system, or a 20 percent fee for developers using alternate payment providers. Developers must also pay a 15 percent commission on purchases that link out of the app. Apple will reduce these rates for developers in the App Store Small Business Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, or Video Partner Program.

新条款将于 10 月 1 日生效。其中包括：使用苹果应用内购买系统的 App Store 应用需缴纳 26% 的佣金，使用替代支付服务提供商的开发者则需缴纳 20% 的费用。开发者还必须为跳转至应用外完成的购买支付 15% 的佣金。对于加入“App Store 小型企业计划”、“小程序合作伙伴计划”或“视频合作伙伴计划”的开发者，苹果将降低上述费率。

With the new terms, developers can offer both in-app purchases and alternative payment systems in the EU. However, developers must maintain the payment options they choose for 12 months “to provide consistency and clarity for users,” Apple says.

根据新条款，开发者在欧盟地区可以同时提供应用内购买和替代支付系统。不过，苹果表示，开发者必须维持其选择的支付选项至少 12 个月，以“为用户提供一致性和清晰度”。

There’s also a 5 percent Core Technology Commission on digital transactions in apps distributed on third-party app stores and the web. Apple will no longer charge an initial acquisition fee, store services fee, or the Core Technology Fee, a €0.50 per download fee that applied to apps for each annual install over 100万.

此外，在第三方应用商店和网页上分发的应用程序，其数字交易需缴纳 5% 的核心技术佣金。苹果将不再收取初始获取费、商店服务费或核心技术费（即此前针对每年安装量超过 100 万次的应用程序收取的每下载 0.50 欧元的费用）。

Web distribution is only available in the EU, Apple says, and the company has eligibility requirements in place for who can actually operate a third-party app marketplace over the web, like being a publicly traded company or having completed a financial audit from a “licensed accountant.”

苹果表示，网页分发功能仅在欧盟地区提供，且公司对谁有资格在网页上运营第三方应用市场设定了准入要求，例如必须是上市公司，或已完成由“持牌会计师”进行的财务审计。

Apple changed its App Store rules last year to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a set of rules regulating Big Tech. The company has remained critical of the regulations and was fined last year after the Commission found that its App Store “anti-steering” practices violated the DMA. Apple lost its bid to exclude the App Store and iOS from the DMA last month.

苹果去年修改了其 App Store 规则，以遵守旨在监管大型科技公司的《数字市场法案》（DMA）。该公司一直对该法规持批评态度，并在去年因其 App Store 的“反引导”行为被欧盟委员会认定违反 DMA 而遭到罚款。上个月，苹果试图将 App Store 和 iOS 排除在 DMA 监管范围之外的请求被驳回。

Apple’s updates also include new child safety features for the EU. Kids apps in the App Store can’t have links to websites for finishing transactions, and Apple won’t let App Store apps link out to websites for a purchase if a user is under 13 years old. Users under 18 will have to get permission from a parent or guardian when trying to make a purchase using an alternative payment method inside an App Store app.

苹果的更新还包括针对欧盟地区的新儿童安全功能。App Store 中的儿童应用不得包含跳转至网站完成交易的链接；如果用户未满 13 岁，苹果将不允许 App Store 应用跳转至外部网站进行购买。未满 18 岁的用户在尝试使用 App Store 应用内的替代支付方式进行购买时，必须获得家长或监护人的许可。