According to the latest reports, Apple is struggling to protect its App Store business model worldwide, and the latest situation is in Russia. After opposing a ruling of the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service, Apple is taking legal action. The ruling will allow developers to promote alternative payment methods for Apple in-app purchases.
Apple takes a 15% to 30% commission from the revenue generated through the App Store, while applications on the iPhone and iPad can only be released through the App Store. This includes monthly payments for subscription services such as Netflix and Spotify.
Application developers often increase the rate of using in-app purchases to compete with direct payments on web pages, which do not have Apple’s 15-30% commission. Prior to this, users and developers of iOS devices complained to Russian regulators that it was sometimes cheaper to buy products on the seller’s website than on the Apple platform.
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RT reported on Apple’s latest measures to maintain its App Store policy:
Apple is seeking judicial review of a warning that forces iPhone manufacturers to allow app developers to tell customers about alternative payment methods when using its app store platform. The government agency issued a warning in August, asking Apple to resolve the issue within the September 30 deadline. At the time, the regulator warned that the Cupertino-based multinational company could face fines, which would be calculated based on its revenue in Russia.
At the end of September this year, Apple refused to comply with the deadline for changing its policy, and the Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service began to file legal proceedings against Apple. Now, Apple is challenging this requirement by taking the Federal Antitrust Agency to court.
At the same time, in the United States, Apple is also facing a similar situation, the court required Apple to support third-party payment methods in the App Store applications. According to the current situation, Apple still intends to collect commissions from these third-party payment methods.