Apple has updated its App Store rules to allow developers to contact users directly about payments, a waiver in a legal settlement with companies protesting the US giant’s tough terms of use.
Under App Store rules updated Friday, developers can contact consumers directly about alternative payment methods, bypassing Apple’s 15% or 30% commission.
The iPhone maker said developers will be able to ask users for basic information, such as names and email addresses, “as long as this request remains optional.”
Apple proposed the changes in August in a legal settlement with small app developers. But this concession may not satisfy major companies such as “Epic Games”, the developer of the game “Fortnite”, which is facing the tech giant in a long-running dispute over its payment policy.
Epic Games filed a lawsuit aimed at reducing Apple’s dominance of the App Store, accusing the giant group of practicing a monopoly policy in its store of digital goods or services.
In September, a judge ordered Apple to relax its control over App Store payment options but said Epic Games had failed to prove violations of antitrust laws. For Epic Games and other developers, the ability to redirect users to an out-of-app payment method is not enough: they require players to be able to pay directly without leaving the game.
Both sides appealed the judicial decision. Apple also faces investigations from US and European authorities, who accuse it of abusing its dominant position.