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 inside their apps to enable users to sign up or manage their accounts.
The move, which was announced last year as part of a settlement with the Japan Fair Trade Commission, applies to apps that provide magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music or video content, Apple said. Reader apps include some of the most popular apps on Apple’s App Store, including Spotify and Netflix.
Apple previously forbade app makers from directing users to sign up through a website. It instead forced them to use Apple’s App Store payment system, which takes between 15% and 30% of sales. The new policy will allow these apps to bypass Apple’s fees by linking out to a external website to sign up new customers.
The change, now reflected in Apple’s App Store guidelines, will enable reader apps to handle their own customer management for users acquired through the app, a sticking point that app makers have complained about to regulators and in courts around the world. The new policy is available globally, Apple said.
The rule doesn’t apply to all apps. Games that offer in-app purchases, which comprise the majority of Apple’s App Store revenue, will still need to use Apple’s payment 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 would still approve updates to the app. The link has to be formatted like a standard link, not a button, and contain the domain name of the website to which it’s linking.
Apple also has some restrictions — for example, any app that qualifies can not also offer in-app purchases, and the app can’t offer real-time services with a person like tutoring or fitness training, which are still required to use App Store payments.
