Apple agreed to loosen App Store restrictions on its developers on Thursday. Its makers iPhone are awaiting the same judge's decision in another App Store dispute filed by Fortnite developers.
Therefore, an interim agreement was reached in a group action.
This agreement includes changes to the way all developers communicate with their customers. This is an issue raised by the trial judge himself.
However, Apple has retained most of the App Store business practices that are challenged by the courts and the law.
A small group of developers filed a lawsuit in 2019, claiming that Apple violated antitrust laws, including charges of up to 30%.
The Cupertino, California-based company has managed to reach a settlement that targets American developers, earning at least $ 1 million a year. So developers are complaining that Apple's pay is too high.
Apple is expecting a much larger antitrust ruling in the lawsuit filed by Fortnite creator Epic Games. The settlement proposed Thursday requires the approval of Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Federal District Court in the Northern District of California, which is also expected to rule on Epic's case.
As part of Thursday's deal, Apple said it would make changes to the App Store. This includes extending last year's transactions by three years and reducing fees for small developers to 15%.
Developers have long been able to get funding in other forms payments outside of their apps to avoid Apple charges. Some apps, like Netflix, avoid the company's in-app payment system on the App Store.
Apple, on the other hand, also plans to create a $ 100 million support fund for small developers.
Of course we are waiting for the court decision.
