The rules for Apple’s developer program have changed. The new terms give the tech giant direct authority to collect the money it believes it owes.
These adjustments could cause developers to lose money in ways they didn’t expect. It indicates that Apple is changing the way it enforces its financial rules.
The changes are mostly about transactions that happen outside of the App Store’s payment system. Even when developers use other methods, they still have to tell Apple about sales and pay a commission.
The new agreement provides Apple with a robust mechanism to ensure timely payment. Developers in areas with more flexible payment rules directly benefit from this.
Apple’s new developer agreement and payment collection methods
The new license lets the company get back or make up for money that hasn’t been paid. The company can directly collect money from the in-app purchases it manages. This includes selling digital products, services, and subscriptions.
Apple says it can do this “at any time” if a developer has not reported all their income. This adds a new financial risk for people who make apps. They could have surprise deductions without any warning.
These rules are most important in markets where local laws allow links to pay from outside the country. This includes both the European Union and Japan. The Verge recently reported on a court ruling that said the legality of these kinds of commissions is still up for debate in the United States.
The deal lets Apple collect money from a developer’s “affiliates, parents, or subsidiaries.” This means that if one of a company’s apps falls behind, Apple could ask the other apps for money.
The Core Technology Fee (CTF) is a major fee that is changing in the EU. In 2026, it will change into a new group called the Core Technology Commission (CTC).
As 9to5Mac has said, this change makes the fee for apps that use outside payment methods more complicated and based on a percentage. Apple will collect these changing fees and any outstanding amounts through the new agreement.
The new agreement has more than just financial terms; it also has other important rules. It adds specific rules for voice-based assistants and AI chatbots that you can turn on with the iPhone’s side button.
One important part of the agreement says that apps can’t let users record themselves without their knowledge. Apps often use recordings of audio, video, and screens to identify bugs. We don’t know yet how strictly Apple will obey this rule.
