Apple on Wednesday issued an updated Developer license agreement that allows the company to recoup unpaid funds, such as commissions or other fees, by, among other things, deducting them from in-app purchases it processes on behalf of developers.
The change will impact developers in regions where local law allows them to connect to third-party payment systems. In these cases, developers must report these payments to Apple to pay any required commissions or fees.
The amended agreement apparently gives Apple a way to collect what it believes is the appropriate fee if the company determines that a developer has underreported its revenue.
Apple’s policies in this area are complex, but the change could affect developers in markets like the EU, the US and now Japan, where developers using third-party payment systems may have to pay different fees or commissions to Apple depending on local law. (In the US, the legality of these commissions is still disputed. A Federal Court of Appeal earlier this month ruled that a district court should consider allowing Apple to collect a commission, but not the full 27% fee it previously charged.)
In his new developer agreementApple states that it will “settle or recover” what it believes it is owed, including “any amounts collected by Apple from end users on your behalf.” This means that Apple can earn money back from developers’ in-app purchases (such as those for digital goods, services and subscriptions) or from one-time fees for paid applications.
Additionally, Apple notes that it has the right to collect this money “at any time” and “from time to time,” meaning developers could face surprise discounts if Apple believes they have miscalculated what they owe.
The agreement does not specify how Apple will determine whether it owes money.
The types of developer payments that vary over time are limited and include commissions, fees and taxes. This includes the Core Technology Fee (CTF) in the EU, which currently costs €0.50 for every first annual installation over one million in the last twelve months. Apple will do that in January 2026 transition from the CTF to a new compensationcalled the Core Technology Commission (CTC), a more complicated, percentage-based rate. Apple will collect the CTC from apps that use third-party payment methods or are distributed under alternative business terms to the EU.
The updated Developer Agreement also gives Apple the right to collect unpaid amounts from any “affiliates, parents or subsidiaries” associated with the account on which funds are owed. In practical terms, this means that Apple could collect the money from the developer’s other apps, or from apps published by a parent company.
These changes are detailed in Appendices 2 and 3, section 3.4, which focuses on the delivery of applications to end users.
These are not the only changes to the agreement. Apple too introduce sections dedicated to age guarantee technology, new terms for iOS apps in Japan, and other requirements.
Interestingly, Apple defines requirements for voice-based assistants (such as AI chatbots) that are activated via the side button on the iPhone and prohibits recordings made without the user’s knowledge. This includes audio and video recordings, as well as screen recordings, which are often used by developers to identify identity issues users face when navigating apps or to pinpoint bugs.
To be clear, Apple is not outright banning these recordings. The company simply adds language that says, “Your application may not be designed to allow recordings of others without their knowledge.” How Apple will interpret that rule remains to be seen.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
#Apple #turns #debt #collection #agency #developer #agreement #TechCrunch