Apple apps in the EU: prepare for the new 2026 terms
Apple published unified terms for apps distributed in the European Union on August 18, 2026. They are due to take effect on October 1, 2026 and change the trade-offs between the App Store, alternative payments, marketplaces, and web distribution.
1. One framework, several business models
Apple is replacing the previous EU terms with Attachment 14 of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. For apps distributed in the EU, Apple lists a 26% commission on sales processed through In-App Purchase, reduced to 15% for certain programs and subscriptions after their first year. In-app alternative payments carry rates of 20% or 10% for the corresponding categories.
A link to an external offer triggers a store services commission on sales made within seven days of the click. Outside the App Store, the per-install Core Technology Fee is replaced by a 5% Core Technology Commission on relevant sales. Those figures alone do not settle the decision: tax, payment processing, support, fraud, refunds, and reporting still need to be costed.
2. Payment choice becomes an architecture decision
An app can combine Apple In-App Purchase, alternative in-app payment, and web links, but Apple requires developers to maintain the selected options for 12 months. Product, finance, legal, security, and support teams should therefore approve the journey before it is enabled.
For payments Apple does not process, the developer is responsible for collecting and remitting applicable taxes. Apple also requires a monthly report of alternative transactions within 15 days after month-end. This flow should be designed as a reconcilable financial control, not a manual export added after launch.
3. What does this change for a Belgian or French enterprise?
A small app publisher can compare a clearer framework, but must assess the full cost of a second payment provider. For a mid-sized company, large enterprise, or public body in Belgium or France, the decision also affects App Store Connect roles, contracts, VAT, proof of purchase, incident handling, and subscription continuity.
Web Distribution and alternative marketplaces become available through a broader list of eligibility routes, including financial stability, audit, funding, public-company status, government, education or nonprofit status, or an installation threshold. That does not automatically make alternative distribution the right channel for an internal app: Apple Business Manager and MDM will often remain more appropriate for private apps delivered to a controlled fleet.
4. Underside analysis: separate public distribution from managed deployment
Our view is that organizations should keep three decisions separate: selling a public app, distributing a private business app, and deploying that app to managed devices. The new terms primarily address the first two commercial dimensions; they replace neither app assignment through Apple Business Manager nor deployment control through Jamf or another MDM.
This separation extends our analysis of the MDM self-service catalog and declarative managed apps. Commercial channel, license, installation, and compliance should remain traceable as four distinct objects.
5. Preparation plan before October 1
- Inventory apps distributed in the EU, their payment models, and their Account Holders.
- Compare commissions with payment, tax, fraud, support, and reporting costs.
- Approve the 12-month commitment before changing any payment journey.
- Design monthly reporting and accounting reconciliation before enabling alternative payment.
- Separate public apps from private apps distributed through Apple Business Manager and MDM.
- Record contractual acceptance and test EU journeys without degrading other regions.
Objective: decide on full cost and clear accountability, not on the headline commission rate alone.
Frame your Apple app strategyOfficial source: Changes for apps in the European Union (Apple Developer, updated August 18, 2026).