Apple EU App Store Changes: Your 2026 Plan

The Apple EU App Store changes become the new baseline on January 1, 2026. For teams that sell digital goods, subscriptions, or in‑app services across the 27 EU member countries, the combination of a 5% Core Technology Commission (CTC), tiered Store Services fees (5% or 13%), and a 2% initial acquisition window means your margins and engineering roadmap will shift. If you’ve already adjusted for the interim policies added in 2025, this is still a second inflection point—one that rewards teams who get their pricing, payments, and telemetry in shape before year‑end.

What exactly are the Apple EU App Store changes?

Here’s the plain‑English version you can share with your CFO and PMs:

• A Core Technology Commission (CTC) of 5% applies to sales of digital goods or services that are communicated and promoted in your EU app and usable in the app. Apple has indicated it will transition to a single business model on January 1, 2026, replacing the earlier Core Technology Fee (CTF) per‑install concept with this commission on qualifying sales.

• Store Services fees are tiered. Tier 1 is 5% (with limited store services), and Tier 2 is 13% (with optional store services). Which tier you’re on determines the Store Services fee portion you owe on top of your payment processing choice.

• There’s an initial acquisition fee of 2% during the first six months after a user’s first install. After that window, only the Store Services fee (5% or 13%) applies for the subsequent 12‑month period tied to the most recent install/update.

• The 3% payment processing fee for Apple’s own processing still exists when you choose to use Apple’s payments. If you bring your own PSP or steer to the web, that 3% doesn’t apply—but the rest of the fee model still does.

• The new rules apply to EU storefront distribution (App Store, web distribution, and alternative marketplaces). Non‑EU storefronts keep their existing models.

Why this matters for 2026 revenue planning

These changes hit three places at once: price strategy, channel mix (in‑app vs web), and your payments stack. Most publishers will see a net fee in the low‑to‑mid teens if they’re on Tier 2 with Apple payments (13% + 3% = 16%, plus the 2% acquisition window to start). If you use a PSP or external link and remain on Tier 2, you avoid the 3% processing charge but still owe the Store Services fee. Teams that pick Tier 1 will keep the 5% Store Services fee but need to live with fewer store features. The CTC adds 5% on eligible sales that are promoted or communicated from within the app.

Here’s the thing: it’s not just the headline percentages. The 2% acquisition window, the 12‑month clock tied to the latest install, and which UI surfaces “communicate and promote” an offer all change your effective take rate. If your EU revenue is subscription‑heavy with low churn, the Store Services clock matters more than for a high‑churn consumables app. If your funnel starts in‑app and completes on the web, the CTC scope matters. If you’re at scale, app updates reset fee windows across your base.

Apple EU App Store changes: a quick glossary

• CTC (Core Technology Commission): 5% commission on qualifying sales communicated/promoted in‑app and usable in the app. Replaces the old CTF model in the EU starting January 1, 2026.

• Store Services fee: 5% (Tier 1) or 13% (Tier 2), assessed within 12 months of the most recent install, update, or reinstall.

• Initial acquisition fee: 2% during the first six months after a user’s first install.

• Apple payment processing: Optional 3% fee if you use Apple’s processing; 0% if you use your own PSP or link out.

• Communication and promotion: If your app nudges the user to purchase digital goods elsewhere (via UI or link), that sale may still be in scope for the CTC.

How to choose between Tier 1 and Tier 2

Start with a simple question: which App Store features do you need to acquire, convert, and retain users? Tier 2 costs more (13%) but gives you the full, optional store services experience. Tier 1 is lean at 5% but assumes you’re not relying on the fuller set of store services. If your EU growth engine is brand demand, web landing pages, and an in‑app sign‑in after purchase, Tier 1 can work—provided you consciously design around the limitations. If discovery, upgrade flows, and store‑level convenience are material to conversion and retention, Tier 2 is the safer call.

A worked example: subscriptions at €10/month

Assume a €10/month subscription sold in the app to EU users.

• Tier 2 with Apple payments: 13% Store Services + 3% processing = €1.60 per month in fees. If the sale originated in the 2% acquisition window for that user, add €0.20 for the first six months. If your app communicates and promotes the same or related offers and those sales are usable in the app, evaluate the 5% CTC exposure on those external transactions.

• Tier 2 with your PSP: 13% Store Services, no Apple processing fee. PSP costs vary (commonly 1–3% plus per‑tx). Your net might land near Apple‑processing parity, but with more control.

• Tier 1 with your PSP or links: 5% Store Services, PSP cost (say 1.4% + €0.25), and potential 5% CTC on communicated, in‑app promoted sales consummated externally and used in the app.

The lesson: the difference between 5%, 13%, and the 2% window is easy to model; correctly scoping CTC depends on how your UI communicates offers and how your fulfillment works. Don’t guess—instrument it.

Engineering and product: a concrete checklist

1) Map your fee clocks

• Track the first‑install date (to know when the 2% acquisition window begins and ends for that user).

• Track the most recent install/update (to know when the 12‑month Store Services period runs).

• Tag purchase events by channel (App Store IAP, in‑app with PSP, web checkout via link, marketplace) and mark which were communicated/promoted in the app.

2) Redesign offer communication

• Create a content model for all in‑app promotional surfaces (paywalls, banners, modals, upsells, restore flows). Classify each by whether it could trigger CTC on an external sale.

• For web‑first funnels, run controlled experiments: paywall that links out vs. email handoff vs. native IAP. Measure conversion lift against the incremental commission impact.

3) Payments resiliency

• Implement PSP failover and clear retry semantics for web checkouts that originate from the app. Avoid dead‑ends that send users back to the App Store unintentionally.

• Normalize receipts/tokens from App Store, PSP, and marketplace channels into one entitlement service. Your eligibility checks should not care where the user paid.

4) Pricing guardrails

• For subscriptions, codify a floor price per storefront that preserves target contribution margin after the relevant commission mix.

• Build a simulation script that ingests last 90 days of EU transactions and re‑prices them under Tier 1 vs Tier 2, with and without Apple processing, and with varied CTC scoping.

5) Legal and ops

• Update terms, receipts, and support flows to reflect off‑platform purchases. Train support on refunds and chargebacks across channels.

• Audit your privacy and analytics disclosures—especially as you add PSP/web flows. Keep the DMA browser choice screen and interoperability features in view if your app embeds web content or alternative engines on iOS/iPadOS.

People also ask

Do these changes apply outside the EU?

No. Apple’s updated business model referenced here applies to distribution to users in the 27 EU member countries. Other storefronts retain their existing terms.

What about the UK?

The UK isn’t in the EU. Unless Apple introduces UK‑specific terms, your UK pricing and fee model remain separate.

Do free apps pay the CTC?

The CTC applies to qualifying sales of digital goods or services that your app communicates and promotes and are usable in the app. Free apps without monetized digital goods don’t generate those sales.

Will this affect web distribution and alternative marketplaces?

Yes. From January 1, 2026, Apple’s single EU model references distribution across the App Store, web distribution, and alternative marketplaces. That’s why your channel telemetry and entitlement service design matter.

Offer design patterns that protect margin

• Split messaging: Separate “learn more” education pages (brand, value prop) from transactional prompts that might be interpreted as a communication/promotion of a specific payable offer.

• Contextual timing: Move cross‑sell prompts to post‑purchase success screens or email, where appropriate, to avoid over‑exposing in‑app communications that increase CTC scope on external sales.

• Native + web hybrids: Keep a basic IAP for users who resist linking out, but push heavy‑discount annual plans to the web. The aim is to win long‑term value while keeping your in‑app fee mix predictable.

Data points and timelines you should know

• June 26, 2025: Apple began applying a 5% CTC to certain externally processed sales that are communicated and promoted in EU apps and usable in the app.

• January 1, 2026: Apple plans to move to a single EU model that replaces per‑install CTF with the CTC on qualifying sales and continues tiered Store Services fees (5%/13%) plus the 2% initial acquisition window.

• iOS/iPadOS: Alternative browser engines are allowed for dedicated browsers in the EU; iOS shows a browser choice screen (with additional changes in iOS 18.2). If your app embeds in‑app browsing or uses a custom engine, confirm your security posture and App Review compliance.

A pragmatic migration playbook (6 weeks)

Week 1: Snapshot and simulate

• Export 90 days of EU transactions; tag by payment channel and whether the app communicated and promoted the related offer.

• Simulate Tier 1 vs Tier 2, Apple processing on/off, and CTC scope toggles. Identify 3–4 pricing bundles that preserve ≥ target margin.

Week 2: UX and copy lock

• Finalize paywalls and upsell surfaces. Split transactional CTAs from educational content. Localize into your top EU languages first.

• Draft a “Where you can subscribe” page to clarify App Store vs. web options without confusing users.

Week 3: Payments and entitlement hardening

• Add PSP redundancy and a warm‑standby web checkout. Normalize receipts/tokens into a single entitlement microservice.

• Add event hooks for install/update to correctly set Store Services fee windows.

Week 4: Pricing ops and support

• Update your billing catalog and promo code system for EU storefronts.

• Train support on cross‑channel refunds and grace periods; prepare canned responses for “Why is the price different on web vs app?”

Week 5: Legal and analytics

• Review DMA‑relevant disclosures, privacy notices, and cookie banners for your web checkout.

• Validate that your analytics events clearly attribute revenue to the channel that triggered the fee obligation.

Week 6: Dry run and launch

• Run a canary release in one EU market. Verify fee windows, entitlement propagation, and invoice reporting. Roll out in waves.

Risks, edge cases, and how to manage them

• Updates reset clocks: An app update resets the Store Services 12‑month window for the user’s device. If you push weekly updates, forecast the fee impact accordingly.

• Mixed cart scenarios: If your app sells bundles that combine digital goods (usable in‑app) and physical goods, isolate line items and ensure your backend applies the correct fee logic.

• PSP outages: If web checkout fails and you fall back to Apple payments, your fee mix changes instantly. Monitor in real time and alert finance.

• Country segmentation: Fees apply to EU storefronts; verify your storefront routing. Roaming users and cross‑border accounts can complicate things—use App Store storefront metadata, not IP, as your source of truth.

What to do next

• Price today for January 1: Lock EU price cards that maintain margin under your chosen tier and payment mix.

• Instrument communication: Tag every in‑app surface that promotes an offer. That’s how you manage CTC exposure intelligently.

• Harden entitlements: Unify receipts/tokens across channels and automate grace periods. Support is cheaper when entitlements just work.

• Stage your rollout: Canary one market, then expand. Keep a rollback plan for paywalls and pricing.

Need a second set of eyes on your architecture or pricing model? Our team ships production‑ready systems and can help you navigate policy shifts without surprises. Explore our mobile product and payments services, skim recent playbooks on platform and policy changes on the ByBowu blog, and if you’re wrestling with cross‑channel attribution or entitlement stitching, drop us a line via contact. For a broader look at how platform policy swings ripple into growth and analytics, our take on shifting ad tech norms—Third‑Party Cookies Aren’t Dying. Now What?—pairs well with this piece. If you want to see how we execute under tight timelines, browse the portfolio.

Zooming out

Regulators want meaningful choice and portability; platforms want sustainable economics for the tools and rails they provide. The 2026 EU model is Apple’s attempt to reconcile both. You can debate the percentages. You can’t debate the operational reality: the winners will be the teams that treat fees like any other input—measure them, model them, and design for them.