Apple settles with app developers without major concessions

Apple has agreed to let developers of iPhone apps email their users about cheaper ways to pay for digital subscriptions and media by circumventing a commission system that generates billions of dollars annually for the iPhone maker. The concession announced late Aug 26, 2021 is part of a preliminary settlement of a nearly two-year-old lawsuit filed on behalf of iPhone app developers in the US. — AP

Apple Inc settled a wide-ranging class action lawsuit with US app makers on Aug 26 without agreeing to major changes to its policies, a victory for a company facing criticism that it wields too much power.

The settlement will include US$100mil (RM419.20mil) worth of payments to app makers ranging from US$250 (RM1,048) to US$30,000 (RM125,760) per developer, according to law firm Hagens Berman, which represented plaintiffs claiming Apple overcharged them fees for distributing their programs through the iOS App Store. A new advertising policy, meanwhile, will make it easier for developers to promote alternative pricing plans and ways to pay – without Apple taking a cut.