Apple is forced to allow external payments, what does it mean for indies?

A US judge ordered Apple to allow developers to link out to external payment options within their apps (for the U.S. storefront only for now) without collecting a dime on those external sales.

Quickly, Stripe and other players demonstrated technical ways to integrate third-party payments easily.

Epic Games is thus trying to bring Fortnite back to the App Store, and Spotify has announced it will link to external payments.

So, no more 30 % or 15 % to Apple, only a couple of percent to a payment processor. Did you just get a raise? Is this the new golden age of the App Store that some are trying to sell you?

Hold your horses! The situation deserves a little thought.

First, remember that this decision came from a judicial battle between two behemoths: Apple and Epic Games.

For them, it makes total sense, they have little reason not to do it.

But for us humble indie developers, let’s see what this smaller cut might mean:

😎 Integration and familiarity

You can’t beat Apple’s in-app purchase integration. It’s first-party, users know it, Apple already has their credit card on file, this has been the standard for almost two decades.

🤔 Overhead

Apple handled many things for you: international taxes, credit-card disputes, refunds, expiring payment options, and more. You might already have enough on your plate.

🥊 Apple won’t give up that easily

You can expect Apple to strike back, as they’ve shown time and again. One easy way would be to penalize, from an ASO standpoint, apps that use external payments. In the end, you’d be the only one hurt.

Remember, revenue can come in many different ways, and it’s complex.

Apple’s cut is an important aspect, that’s for sure.

But when weighing the balance, keep in mind the bigger picture, which includes, but is not limited to, user experience, delegating issues you don’t want to handle, and ensuring you remain in Apple’s good graces so they don’t penalize you.

My personal take is that Apple’s cut is perfectly fine for indie devs, especially if you qualify for the 15 % Small Business Program rate.

This isn’t the deal of the century, but Apple certainly provides a favorable environment in exchange for a relatively small percentage.

You’ll have plenty of time to worry about making that percentage even smaller once you’re big enough!