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Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

macrumors.com

41–50 of 944 posts

Re: Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

#41

Just do what we all do to dodge this, have the Account management and purchasing abilities sit inside an embedded browser window that opens up from a button push in the app. Yes it adds a little barrier but with Apple Pay it is a very small barrier and the juice is worth the squeeze.

Don’t they forbid this? Spotify couldn’t even link to their website in the US lol

This was a result of the Apple vs Epic case, external payment processors avoiding the fee were enabled in the US in May 2025.

Re: Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

#42

Just do what we all do to dodge this, have the Account management and purchasing abilities sit inside an embedded browser window that opens up from a button push in the app. Yes it adds a little barrier but with Apple Pay it is a very small barrier and the juice is worth the squeeze.

Don’t they forbid this? Spotify couldn’t even link to their website in the US lol

In practice I’ve seen apps just game the system by (1) using IAP using the normal flow, and (2) giving user a button unrelated to purchasing that would open a new WebView, which just happens to contain a purchase button.

Re: Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

#43
Patiently waiting for a mandatory 30% fee on every transaction made with iOS banking software. Maybe that'll put a definitive stop to forcing mobile "apps" with jailbreak detection on customers and have banks think twice before crippling the functionality of their websites.

Please Apple, make this happen.

Re: Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

#45
post #43

Patiently waiting for a mandatory 30% fee on every transaction made with iOS banking software. Maybe that'll put a definitive stop to forcing mobile "apps" with jailbreak detection on customers and have banks think twice before crippling the functionality of their websites. Please Apple, make this happen.

Never.

Popular apps have been exempt from these rules since the beginning of time - not that I agree with this.

Re: Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

#46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t they forbid this? Spotify couldn’t even link to their website in the US lol

This was a result of the Apple vs Epic case, external payment processors avoiding the fee were enabled in the US in May 2025.

If it was enabled, why can Apple still demand 30% cut here? Couldn’t Patreon just switch to external payment processors citing the Epic case?

Re: Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

#47
post #36

I call this the Apple "idiot tax" - 'cos you have to be an idiot in letting Apple exploit you (the developer and the user) this brazenly.

This is counterproductive. The only alternative to letting Apple exploit you is letting Google exploit you. There are differences, Google is somewhat better on this specific point, but there's enough things Google is worse at (such as privacy) that choosing Google isn't exactly without downsides. Your mindset results in Apple users thinking "the problem is those stupid Android idiots who accept being in an ad tech co…

You do have an alternative to both Google and Apple, which gives you the best of both worlds - it's called the Sailfish mobile OS - https://sailfishos.org/ . (As for my snarky post, read my other comment in this same thread to understand why I posted what I posted.)

Re: Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

#48
post #45
post #43

Patiently waiting for a mandatory 30% fee on every transaction made with iOS banking software. Maybe that'll put a definitive stop to forcing mobile "apps" with jailbreak detection on customers and have banks think twice before crippling the functionality of their websites. Please Apple, make this happen.

Never. Popular apps have been exempt from these rules since the beginning of time - not that I agree with this.

Is Patreon not popular?

Re: Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

#49
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is counterproductive. The only alternative to letting Apple exploit you is letting Google exploit you. There are differences, Google is somewhat better on this specific point, but there's enough things Google is worse at (such as privacy) that choosing Google isn't exactly without downsides. Your mindset results in Apple users thinking "the problem is those stupid Android idiots who accept being in an ad tech co…

You do have an alternative to both Google and Apple, which gives you the best of both worlds - it's called the Sailfish mobile OS - https://sailfishos.org/ . (As for my snarky post, read my other comment in this same thread to understand why I posted what I posted.)

I don't think I can send or receive money to and from my friends or pay my public transport fare from Sailfish.

Re: Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app

#50

This means Apple is literally going to take nearly 3x in fees from Patreon's customers than Patreon is taking from their own customers. My understanding is that the reason the number 30% is so magical is a historical anomaly. When software was physically distributed back in the day, 15% of the MSRP was reserved for the distributor and another 15% for the retailer. When these digital marketplaces were set up, the comp…

Steve Jobs never announced a price ceiling for apps on the App Store. The well-known I Am Rich app for iPhone retailer for $999, the actual price ceiling.
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