Apple on Wednesday released an updated developer license agreement that offers the corporate permission to recoup unpaid funds, akin to commissions or another fees, by deducting them from in-app purchases it processes on developers’ behalf, amongst other methods.
The change will impact developers in regions where local law allows them to link to external payment systems. In these cases, developers must report those payments back to Apple to pay the required commissions or fees.
The modified agreement seemingly gives Apple a solution to collect what it believes is the right fee if the corporate determines a developer has underreported their earnings.
Apple’s policies on this area are complex, however the change could impact developers in markets just like the EU, U.S., and, now, Japan, where developers using external payment systems could also be required to pay Apple various fees or commissions depending on local law. (Within the U.S., the legality of those commissions remains to be being disputed. A federal appeals court earlier this month ruled that a district court should consider allowing Apple to gather some commission, though not the complete 27% fee it previously charged.)
In its recent developer agreement, Apple states it is going to “offset or recoup” what it believes it’s owed, including “any amounts collected by Apple in your behalf from end-users.” This implies Apple could recoup funds from developers’ in-app purchases — like those for digital goods, services, and subscriptions — or from one-time fees for paid applications.
Moreover, Apple notes that it has the correct to gather this money “at any time” and “infrequently,” meaning developers could face surprise deductions if Apple believes they’ve miscalculated what they owe.
The agreement doesn’t specify how Apple will determine whether it’s owed money.
The sorts of developer payments that adjust over time are limited and include commissions, fees, and taxes. Amongst these is the Core Technology Fee (CTF) within the EU, which currently costs €0.50 for every first annual install exceeding a million previously 12 months. In January 2026, Apple will transition from the CTF to a brand new fee, called the Core Technology Commission (CTC), a more complicated percentage-based fee. Apple will collect the CTC from apps that use external payment methods or are distributed under its alternative business terms for the EU.
The updated developer agreement also gives Apple the correct to gather unpaid amounts from any “affiliates, parents, or subsidiaries” related to the account that owes money. In practical terms, meaning Apple could collect the cash from developers’ other apps, or from apps published by a parent company.
These changes are detailed in Schedules 2 and three, section 3.4, which focuses on the delivery of applications to finish users.
These will not be the one modifications to the agreement. Apple can also be introducing sections dedicated to its age assurance technology, recent terms for iOS apps in Japan, and other requirements.
Of interest, Apple is defining requirements for voice-based assistants (like AI chatbots) which can be activated via the side button on the iPhone and is banning recordings made without user awareness. This includes audio and video recordings, in addition to screen recordings, which are sometimes utilized by developers to identity issues users face when navigating apps or to locate bugs.
To be clear, Apple isn’t banning these recordings outright. The corporate is solely adding language that claims: “Your Application is probably not designed to facilitate Recordings of others without their awareness.” How Apple will interpret that rule stays to be seen.
Apple didn’t reply to a request for comment ahead of publication.