"A 15% junk fee" — Spotify and Epic slam Apple's latest EU App Store changes

(Image credit: Future)

Apple's new compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that changes the way developers can use external linking within the European Union for their apps and listings has been met with criticism from Epic and Spotify.

The new changes allow developers to direct users to external purchasing options outside of the App Store. This means if you're in the EU you'll be able to purchase subscriptions directly from an app provider.

But these changes, which introduce a new 'StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement Addendum', require developers to use and agree to the 'StoreKit External Purchase APIs" and means that there's a 5% initial fee paid for all digital goods and services sales within the first 12-months following the initial install.

Shortly after the new announcements and introduction of the new fee structure, Epic CEO Tim Swinney called the new changes "an illegal new 15% junk fee," on X. He added, "(it's) completely uneconomical for developers to distribute their apps through both the Apple App Store and competing iOS app stores."

In the European Union where the new DMA law opens up app store competition, Apple continues its malicious compliance by imposing an illegal new 15% junk fee on users migrating to competing stores and monitor commerce on these competing stores.https://t.co/YUYwsnrh32 pic.twitter.com/xAWGkOWPrHAugust 8, 2024

Epic and Spotify not too pleased

Spotify weren't too pleased either, speaking to TechCrunch the company said, "We are currently assessing Apple's deliberately confusing proposal. At first glance, by demanding as much as a 25% fee for basic communication with users, Apple once again blatantly disregards the fundamental requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The European Commission has made it clear that imposing recurring fees on basic elements like pricing and linking is unacceptable. We call on the Commission to expedite its investigation, implement daily fines and enforce the DMA."

This is just another in a long line of disputes between the companies and Apple in relation to the DMA and we don't appear any closer to reaching a solution that makes everyone involved happy.

Earlier this year, the European Commission inflicted a large $1.95 billion fine on Apple for preventing companies like Spotify from telling users about cheaper subscription fees outside of the App Store. Months later we're far from a resolution to all of this conflict.

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John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.