Epic Games and Spotify call the latest changes to the App Store “illegal” and “deliberately confusing”

Apple has unveiled a new plan to comply with Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) by allowing app developers to link to payment systems outside the App Store. But the additional conditions proposed by the company again did not suit its long-time opponents, Epic Games and Spotify.

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Apple did update its App Store policies to demonstrate its commitment to DMA compliance, but introduced a new, rather complex fee structure. Shortly after this, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called these conditions on social network X “a new illegal garbage commission of 15%” – in his opinion, now “it is completely unprofitable for developers to distribute their applications both through the Apple App Store and through competing iOS app stores.” In late January, when Apple proposed the first changes to its app store policies, he accused the company of “failure to comply with the law in good faith.”

There were no kind words for Apple and Spotify – a representative of the music streaming service told TechCrunch that the new policy is “intentionally confusing”, but “at first glance” the company continues to “blatantly ignore” the DMA requirements. “We are currently evaluating Apple’s deliberately confusing proposal. On the face of it, by requiring a 25% fee for basic communications with consumers, Apple is again clearly ignoring basic requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The European Commission has made it clear that introducing recurring fees for key elements such as pricing and links is unacceptable. We call on the commission to expedite its investigation, introduce daily fines and enforce the DMA,” Spotify said.

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According to Apple, the new initial acquisition fee, which developers who link to third-party payment services must pay, reflects the value that the App Store provides by connecting developers and consumers in the EU. The second store service fee reflects the current services and capabilities Apple provides to developers: app distribution, App Store trust and safety, advertising tools, fraud checks and more. European developers who decide to use third-party payment systems will have to pay from 10% to 27% commission, depending on the chosen mode of interaction with the App Store and participation in the small business program. This is less than the standard fee of 15% to 30%, but Epic Games and Spotify also considered the new terms unfair.

Epic Games plans to launch its own mobile games store for iPhone and iPad in the EU and charge developers a 12% commission for processing payments by the store or 0% when connecting third-party systems. In March, the European Commission fined Apple €1.84 billion for preventing streaming music services, including Spotify, from communicating lower subscription prices to users when paying outside the app.