App Store External Links: What Changes Now

Since the December 11, 2025 appeals decision, App Store external links are no longer a theoretical edge case — they’re the default path U.S. iOS teams should be designing for. The court affirmed Apple’s failure to comply with a prior injunction, barred the most heavy‑handed deterrents, and signaled that Apple may still collect a reasonable fee in the future. That means two tracks for product leaders: implement clean, compliant linking now, and prepare your billing stack for a potential commission framework in 2026.

What the December 11 ruling actually changes

The appeals panel largely backed the district court’s contempt findings: Apple’s combination of a 27% “external purchase” fee, strict formatting limits that banned buttons in favor of plain text, and full‑screen deterrent warnings undercut the 2021 order. The panel stopped short of banning all commissions, though. Instead, it told the lower court to craft a framework for an appropriate fee tied to real coordination costs. Apple can limit overemphasis, but it can’t force developers to make external options less visible than Apple’s own.

For product and engineering teams, that translates into three operational truths today: you can present a normal button or call to action; you can link users to your own payment page; and you should design the UI so your external path is clear, honest, and not louder than Apple’s default purchase option. The fee question is deferred, not dead — so leave architectural space for it.

Where the App Review Guidelines land right now

On the United States storefront, Apple’s guidelines already reflect the new reality: apps can include buttons, external links, or other calls to action without a special entitlement. Sections 3.1.1, 3.1.1(a), 3.1.3, and 3.1.3(a) were updated earlier this year to remove the entitlement requirement for U.S. apps. Apple also reiterated broader policy clarifications in November. Read the language, then implement the spirit: transparency, no dark patterns, and parity of prominence relative to Apple’s controls.

If you need a deeper primer on the lead‑up, our earlier write‑ups will help you connect the dots: the initial appeal context in App Store External Links After the Appeal and the more recent procedural shift in App Store External Links After the 9th Circuit.

App Store external links: what you can ship today

Here’s the thing: teams overcomplicate this. You don’t need a legal seminar to place a compliant button and drive a checkout on your site. You need thoughtful UX, careful copy, and a server you control. My rule of thumb after shipping dozens of review‑sensitive flows: build the simplest honest path, instrument it well, and keep a tidy paper trail.

The no‑drama, passes‑review pattern

Use a standard button with concise, neutral labeling. Avoid hype. Pair it with a small explanatory line that neither denigrates nor obscures in‑app purchase. Respect Apple’s sizing and placement guidance by keeping parity of emphasis.

• Button label: “Pay on our website” or “Subscribe on web” is fine. Avoid “Save 30% by paying on web,” or anything comparative in the app chrome.
• Placement: put the external option in the same decision zone as the in‑app option, not buried or sprawling across the screen.
• Disclosure: one unobtrusive sentence is enough: “You can also complete your purchase on our website.”
• Destination: deep‑link to an authenticated, mobile‑optimized checkout. No interstitials, no bait‑and‑switch.

In practice, this looks like a two‑choice paywall with native IAP and a sibling “Pay on website” button. I’ve shipped this pattern across consumer subscriptions and B2B account upgrades without rejections, provided the copy stays neutral and the visual hierarchy is balanced.

Copy that won’t get you flagged

Keep it factual, not comparative. In‑app text should inform, not market. If you need to explain price differences, do that off‑app on your website, where you can detail taxes, fees, and bundles freely.

Good: “Prefer to purchase on the web? Continue on our site.” Not good: “Avoid Apple’s fees — pay on the web.”

URL hygiene and instrumentation

Use HTTPS, first‑party domains, and persistent UTM parameters. Standardize on utm_source=ios-app&utm_medium=external-link&utm_campaign=checkout with an app_variant param for A/Bs. Pass a signed, expiring session token to keep the customer signed in on arrival and prevent account mismatch.

Subscriptions and account state

Two gotchas I still see weekly: subscription entitlements and restore flows. If a user purchases on the web, grant entitlements from your server and reflect them in‑app within seconds. Add a prominent “Restore web purchase” button on paywalls and settings. If you sell both IAP and web subscriptions, normalize product names and durations to avoid user confusion.

Can Apple still charge a fee on external payments in the U.S.?

Yes, but not the way it tried before. The appeals court said a reasonable fee tied to Apple’s coordination costs could be permissible, and it directed the lower court to set guardrails. As of December 17, 2025, no new fee schedule has been ordered. If and when a framework lands, expect a percentage‑based commission with carve‑outs and thresholds. Design for that inevitability now: keep a fee abstraction in your billing code and log the purchase origin (IAP vs. web via app link) so you can compute future fees cleanly.

How this differs from Europe (and why it matters to U.S. teams)

In the EU, pressure under the DMA has centered on whether Apple can apply new platform fees for external transactions. Developer groups argue those fees violate the law’s intent and have urged stricter enforcement. The U.S. path is different: courts here have allowed the concept of a reasonable, cost‑based fee while rejecting the most aggressive deterrents. If you operate in both regions, don’t copy‑paste your EU flow into the U.S. app. Treat each storefront as its own policy regime, and document the rationale in your compliance notes for App Review.

Design guidance: parity without dark patterns

Parity doesn’t mean identical pixels. It means a comparable opportunity to act. Build your paywall with these anchors:

• Comparable visibility: similar font size, color weight, and proximity for the in‑app and web options.
• Predictable behavior: the web button opens Safari in‑app or exits to Safari without extra warning overlays.
• No emotional friction: skip fear‑based microcopy near the link; let the user decide.

As a senior editor and product lead, my litmus test is simple: if the screenshot shows one option obviously overshadowing the other, you’re asking for a review. If both are clearly available, you’re on safe ground.

Security and privacy basics for external checkout

External links move the purchase to your domain. That’s power — and responsibility. Shore up fundamentals before you flip the switch:

• Enforce HSTS and TLS 1.2+; preload if you can.
• Use CSRF tokens on checkout forms; rotate session tokens on sign‑in.
• Capture minimal PII; encrypt at rest; redact logs. If you store cards, use a Level 1 PCI DSS provider and tokenize.
• Show a short, mobile‑friendly privacy notice on the checkout page with a link to full terms. Avoid pop‑ups that obscure the payment form.

For teams juggling security patches on the server side, our recent pieces on rapid patch hygiene will help you keep your estate tight while you ship business‑critical changes.

A one‑week rollout plan (battle‑tested)

Let’s get practical. Here’s a focused plan you can run this week with a squad of three (PM, engineer, designer) and a little help from your payments vendor.

1. Audit and decide (Day 1): Inventory your paywalls and upgrade screens. Decide where the external link appears. Map flows for new users, returning users, and expired subs.
2. Implement UI (Day 2): Add the web button and disclosure text. Match size and color weight to the native IAP button. Add a settings shortcut: “Manage on web.”
3. Wire the link (Day 2–3): Build a deep link to /checkout with a signed token. Instrument UTMs. Add server‑side logging for origin=ios_external_link.
4. Checkout hardening (Day 3): Confirm 3DS flows, guest→account merge, and retries. Add restore_purchase in‑app to refresh entitlements after a web buy.
5. QA matrix (Day 4): Test on iOS 17–18, Wi‑Fi→cell switch, airplane mode fallback, and device region flips (U.S. storefront only for the new button).
6. Review notes (Day 4): In App Store Connect, explain the flow plainly: “The app presents two options. Users may purchase via IAP or complete their purchase on our website using the ‘Pay on website’ button.” Attach screenshots.
7. Staged rollout (Day 5): Ship to 10% with feature flag. Watch crash‑free rate, checkout conversion, and refund deltas.
8. >

If you need a partner to implement this in parallel with other roadmap items, our team can help. See what we do for product and compliance sprints or explore modular services for mobile growth.

Metrics that matter (and the baselines to beat)

You’re moving money flows. Treat this like a funnel migration, not a copy update.

• Tap‑through on external button: target 35–60% of paywall taps, depending on your IAP price mix and B2C vs. B2B share.
• Web checkout completion: 70–85% for returning signed‑in users; 50–70% for first‑time sign‑ins. If you’re below those ranges, fix account friction.
• Refund rate delta: external vs. IAP should converge within four weeks. A growing gap hints at expectation mismatch in copy.
• Support contact rate: adding external links shouldn’t spike tickets if comms are clear. Aim for < 1 support contact per 1,000 external purchases after week two.

Keep a weekly review. If the external path underperforms, it’s almost always sign‑in friction or slow mobile web performance. Fix those before tweaking copy.

Edge cases and traps that still trip teams

Not every app should present external links the same way. A few scenarios to handle deliberately:

• Kids & teen audiences: If your content reaches minors, double‑check parental consent flows and age gates. Don’t turn the paywall into a maze.
• One‑time purchases: External links can work, but entitlement sync is even more visible to users. If it’s a single unlock, make sure the item appears immediately on return to the app.
• Accountless trials: If you offer a tap‑to‑try experience, require account creation before sending users to the web. Cold‑start checkout + account creation on mobile web is a conversion killer.
• Country mix: Gate the external button to the U.S. storefront only. Your EU/ROW policies likely differ today, and consistency doesn’t mean uniformity.

If you’re coming from a week of patching framework vulnerabilities and need to balance risk with speed, our security posts on resilient rollouts provide a useful backdrop: see the practical mapping in this Next.js patch map and the execution playbooks in our React incident series.

Fees tomorrow, sanity today: build your abstraction

Whether a commission lands at 0%, cost‑based pennies, or something more material, the lowest‑stress teams will be the ones that can flip logic without re‑architecting. Add a platform_fee module now:

• Persist purchase origin and storefront on the order.
• Compute a hypothetical fee and store it even if you don’t pay it today.
• Export monthly ledgers with order ID, origin, storefront, user ID, and computed fee.
• Dry‑run disputes and refunds to ensure you can recompute fees on adjustments.

This is the same muscle you use for tax calculation or marketplace payouts. Build it once; sleep better later.

People also ask

Do I need an entitlement to add an external link in the U.S.?

No. On the United States storefront, you can include buttons, links, or other calls to action without a special entitlement. Keep your UI balanced and your copy neutral.

Can I show a message about lower prices on the web?

Not inside the app UI. Offer factual, neutral language in‑app and handle price education on your website. The closer your in‑app copy comes to comparative marketing, the higher your review risk.

Can Apple block my button with a warning screen?

No. The appeals decision criticized deterrent warnings. Expect Safari to open normally. Your job is to deliver a fast, trustworthy checkout on arrival.

What to do next

For developers:

• Ship the two‑button paywall with neutral copy and parity of prominence.
• Add a signed session link to web checkout and a “restore web purchase” path.
• Instrument UTMs and origin flags; log ledgers for theoretical fees.
• Write clear App Review notes and attach screenshots.

For founders and product leaders:

• Decide SKU strategy (match IAP tiers or diverge); align pricing off‑app.
• Stand up a fee abstraction and monthly ledger export.
• Plan an A/B test to compare external vs. IAP conversion and LTV by segment.
• Publish a short help‑center article about purchasing on the web and refunds.

If you want a fast assist with copy, flows, and instrumentation, reach out via contact us — we’ve helped multiple teams ship this safely in under a week.

Zooming out: the strategic upside

External links don’t just shave payment costs — they let you own the customer relationship end to end. You can test pricing faster, bundle products across platforms, and move support from the app to web self‑service. The court nudged Apple toward more reasonable guardrails; the rest is up to us. Done well, this is your chance to unify identity, billing, and communications without fighting the OS.

When in doubt, keep it boring: honest copy, sturdy infra, and crisp measurement. If you need a partner to co‑pilot the rollout, our team has been there — and we’ll bring templates, not theory. See our portfolio for shipped outcomes or browse our latest guidance for deeper implementation notes.