Apple said on Wednesday that so-called "reader apps," which allow users to access libraries of content on their phones, will be allowed to use external links within their apps to allow users to sign up or manage their accounts.
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The move, announced last year as part of a settlement with Japan's Fair Trade Commission, applies to apps that provide magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music or video content, Apple said. Reader apps are some of the most popular apps on Apple's App Store - for example, Spotify and Netflix.
Apple previously banned app developers from directing users to sign up through a website. Instead, it forced them to use Apple's App Store payments system, which takes a 15% to 30% cut of sales. The new policy will allow these apps to bypass Apple's fees by linking to an external website to sign up new customers.
The change, now reflected in Apple's App Store guidelines, will allow reading apps to handle their own customer management for users acquired through the app, a point that app makers have complained about to regulators and courts around the world. The new policy is available globally, Apple said.
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The rule doesn't apply to all apps. Games that offer in-app purchases, which make up the bulk of Apple's App Store revenue, will have to continue to use Apple's payments system.
Apple said in a post on its developer website that interested developers can submit a request form to Apple and that Apple's App Review process will approve the updates to the app. The link must be in the form of a standard link, not a button, and contain the domain name of the website it links to.
Apple said that apps that include digital content as a feature but focus on other uses, such as social networking, would not be eligible for the program.
Apple requires a pop-up warning that "Apple is not responsible for the privacy or security of transactions made with this developer" before the user leaves the app.
The policy change comes as Apple's App Store rules are being scrutinized by courts and lawmakers around the world. In response to this situation, Apple has made several changes to its policies.
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In a separate blog post on Wednesday, Apple said it had changed its policy in the Netherlands, where it was fined nearly 50 million euros for failing to comply with an order from the country's consumer and markets antitrust authority that forced it to allow external links for dating apps.
Apple's new policy does not require app developers in the Netherlands to submit a completely different version, or "binary," which was previously required.
Information source: cnbc.com
