Apple EU New Terms: What Changes on October 1, 2026?

Apple announced a sweeping change on August 18, 2026, under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that moves every developer distributing apps in the European Union to a single set of business terms, taking effect on October 1, 2026. The Core Technology Fee is being fully eliminated as of October 1, 2026, replaced by a flat-rate commission model; the commission schedule for sales made both inside and outside the App Store is being rewritten from scratch. For every iOS developer selling — or planning to sell — apps in the EU, this is a turning point you can't afford to click past on the agreement acceptance screen.

💡 Pro Tip: You don't have to wait until October 1 to accept the new terms today — Apple lets developers opt in early; the one thing to watch is that once you pick a payment option (App Store IAP, in-app alternative payment, out-of-app link-out, or a combination), you can't change it for 12 months.

Table of Contents

• Summary of the Package Published on August 18
• Who Is Affected?
• The Logic Behind Moving From CTF to a Percentage-Based Commission
• Why Did This Change Come Now?
• Removed Line Items and the New Commission Table
• Small Business and Marketplace Exemptions
• The Criteria for Running an Alternative Marketplace Also Loosened
• Reporting Obligation for Alternative Payment Users
• Early Transition Decision Matrix
• Agreement Acceptance Timeline and Apple Developer Account Steps
• Child Safety Requirements Got Stricter
• The Practical Effect on Selling From Turkey to the EU
• The 90-Day Travel Rule
• Treating Agreement Acceptance as a Checkpoint
• FAQ
• What is Core Technology Commission (CTC) and who is it charged to?
• How did the commission structure in the EU look on October 1, 2026?
• Is a developer selling from Turkey to EU users affected?
• As a developer who already paid the old Core Technology Fee, what should I do?
• What happens if I don't accept the new terms?
• If I'm in the small business program, do I automatically move to the reduced rate?
• Conclusion
• Sources

Summary of the Package Published on August 18

The announcement Apple published via developer.apple.com/news sums up the change for EU developers as "moving every developer that distributes apps in the EU to a single set of business terms." This marks the end of the successive temporary addenda that had accumulated over past years for DMA (Digital Markets Act) compliance, and the move to a single, permanent framework.

The legal basis for the change is Attachment 14, added to the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. This attachment defines the updated terms for apps distributed in the EU and was formalized by a separate announcement published the same day (August 18, 2026) titled "Updated Apple Developer Program License Agreement now available." The old EU-specific addenda — the Alternative Terms Addendum and the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (EU) Addendum — are being retired on October 1.

The European Commission wasn't silent either: in its statement, the Commission said it welcomed the changes and would monitor how Apple actually implements the new terms in practice. In other words, this isn't a unilateral move by Apple — it's a settlement package shaped under DMA oversight, one the Commission is also watching.

Who Is Affected?

The change looks at which App Store storefront (country display) the app is distributed in, not at the developer's home country. In other words, if your app is listed on the App Store of an EU member country, whether you're based in Istanbul or Berlin, the new terms cover you.

The Logic Behind Moving From CTF to a Percentage-Based Commission

The old Core Technology Fee (CTF) model charged a flat fee per install to developers who crossed a certain install threshold — cost scaled linearly as the app grew, and the fee applied regardless of whether the developer actually made money from that install. This structure created a "penalized for growing" feeling, especially for free or low-ARPU apps.

The new model reverses that: Core Technology Commission (CTC) is calculated as 5% of digital sales made through distribution channels outside the App Store (alternative marketplaces or web distribution). This is a shift from a fixed cost to a revenue-based commission — no sale, no commission. In Apple's own words: "The Core Technology Fee... will be replaced by the Core Technology Commission, a simple 5% commission on digital transactions in apps distributed outside the App Store."

The practical upshot of this shift: CTF calculations used to require a hard-to-predict table based on annual install counts. Now there's a simple percentage tied to actual sales volume — fewer surprises both in financial planning and when reading App Store Connect reports.

Why Did This Change Come Now?

Under the Digital Markets Act, the European Commission had found Apple's previous DMA compliance model (a series of addenda updated since 2024) insufficient and kept up investigative pressure. The August 18 package is the product of that pressure, adopting a "consolidate every addendum under one roof" approach — developers no longer have to figure out which addendum applies to them.

Removed Line Items and the New Commission Table

Two line items are being fully removed as of October 1, 2026: the Initial Acquisition Fee and the old-form Store Services Fee. In their place are three separate commission regimes that vary by distribution channel, plus the CTC. The table below summarizes the official rates published on August 18, 2026 and taking effect on October 1, 2026 (source: developer.apple.com/support/payment-options-on-the-app-store-in-the-eu):

An important detail to note: the "Store Services commission" only applies if the user completes a purchase within 7 days after tapping a link you provided inside the app. Outside that window, Apple doesn't claim this store services commission.

1{
2  "salesChannel": "in-app-alternative-payment",
3  "standardRate": 0.2,
4  "reducedRate": 0.1,
5  "reducedEligibility": [
6    "AppStoreSmallBusinessProgram",
7    "MiniAppsPartnerProgram",
8    "VideoPartnerProgram",
9    "autoRenewableSubscriptionAfterYear1"
10  ],
11  "effectiveDate": "2026-10-01"
12}

Small Business and Marketplace Exemptions

Developers enrolled in the Small Business Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, or Video Partner Program — and auto-renewable subscriptions after year 1 — get the reduced rate across all three commission categories (the "Reduced Rate" column above). You can check whether your company meets the revenue thresholds from the program enrollment screen in App Store Connect.

There's also a separate CTC exemption defined for small marketplace operators — but its scope is narrow. Apple's official text reads: "If you're a small marketplace operator, you qualify to have the CTC waived on fees your EU marketplace app charges to download your alternative app marketplace, or subscription fees to access apps distributed by your alternative app marketplace. To qualify you need to earn less than: €10 million in global revenue in the last 12 months; and €1 million in total lifetime revenue from your EU marketplace app's download price or subscription fees to access apps distributed by your marketplace." In other words, the exemption only applies to the marketplace's own download fee or access-subscription fee — the 5% CTC on the digital sales happening inside apps distributed through that marketplace is not covered by this exemption and still applies.

The Criteria for Running an Alternative Marketplace Also Loosened

Previously, companies wanting to run an alternative app marketplace were required to have a legal entity established in the EU. That requirement is gone: "Companies are no longer required to have a legal entity or be established in the EU to operate an alternative app marketplace or use Web Distribution." Instead, meeting one of the following criteria is now enough — for example, one million first-annual installs worldwide, or providing a stand-by letter of credit worth 1,000,000 USD (or the local currency equivalent).

Reporting Obligation for Alternative Payment Users

If you use a payment provider outside the App Store, accurate commission calculation depends not only on Apple's background tracking but also on your regular reporting. In Apple's own words: "You're also required to track and send Apple a report of all alternative payment transactions for applicable commission fee calculation and collection purposes. This report will need to be provided monthly within 15 days following the end of the calendar month." This reporting is a prerequisite for accurate App Store commission calculation for any developer using an alternative payment processor or linking out to the web; a late or incomplete report can make commission calculation and collection go wrong on Apple's side.

Early Transition Decision Matrix

You can accept the new terms starting August 18, without waiting for October 1. The simple decision matrix below summarizes when it makes sense to transition early:

Whichever comes later — October 1 or your acceptance date — is what governs when you're bound by the new terms; even if you accept today, you're not subject to the new commission rates before October 1, but you do get your integration and contract process done ahead of time. One warning: outstanding debts accrued under old agreements (unpaid commissions, etc.) aren't affected by this transition — in Apple's own words, "Developers that owe Apple fees and commissions accrued under the discontinued agreements will remain responsible for paying those amounts to Apple."

Agreement Acceptance Timeline and Apple Developer Account Steps

To accept the new terms, you need to go to your Apple Developer account — in Apple's own words: "To agree to these terms in your Apple Developer account, you'll need to be the Account Holder of your membership." Whoever holds the Account Holder role should follow these steps:

1. Sign in to developer.apple.com/account with the Account Holder role — in Apple's own words: "To agree to these terms in your Apple Developer account, you'll need to be the Account Holder of your membership."
2. Review the updated Apple Developer Program License Agreement (including Attachment 14) under the Membership section.
3. Accept the agreement — after this step your account gains access to the alternative payment entitlement and alternative distribution tools.
4. If you'll use alternative payment or link-out, request the relevant entitlement from the Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles section.
5. Check your app's minimum OS version — entitlement compliance requires iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, macOS 26.6 (and the corresponding tvOS/watchOS/visionOS 26.6).

There is no App Store Connect API endpoint that directly returns agreement-acceptance status — calls like /v1/apps/{appId}/appInfos return app metadata (name, subtitle, age rating, review status), not agreement status. You can still get an indirect signal: if an agreement is missing or expired, calls to certain App Store Connect API resources return a 403 FORBIDDEN.REQUIRED_AGREEMENTS_MISSING_OR_EXPIRED error code. This is not an official "agreement status" API, just an indirect probe:

1# There is NO official agreement-status endpoint — indirect probe: hit some resource and check the error code (example: the bundleIds list endpoint)
2curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" -H "Authorization: Bearer $ASC_JWT" \
3  "https://api.appstoreconnect.apple.com/v1/bundleIds"
4# 403 + REQUIRED_AGREEMENTS_MISSING_OR_EXPIRED -> agreement missing/expired

To see the agreement's real status with certainty, you still need to check the Business > Agreements tab in App Store Connect, or developer.apple.com/account > Membership. If you want to set up App Store Connect API automation end to end, see the App Store Connect API 2026: TestFlight, Submission, Analytics Automation guide.

Child Safety Requirements Got Stricter

The new package introduces a three-tier rule set for child safety in alternative payment flows:

• Kids category: Apps using an alternative payment processor must place the purchase flow behind a parental gate, and may not offer out-of-app purchase offers via the web at all.
• Users under 13: Alternative payment purchases must sit behind a parental gate, and out-of-app link-out offers are entirely prohibited.
• Users aged 13-17: Both the in-app alternative payment flow and out-of-app purchase offers must be placed behind a parental gate.

There's one exception: in some EU storefronts, the parental-consent age is set above 13 — in Apple's words, in those storefronts the same protections apply up to age 16 instead of 13 (so the 13-17 rule shifts to 16-17). You can check which threshold applies in which storefront on Apple's region-specific age rules page.

This detail carries particular App Store rejection risk for developers with education- or family-focused apps.

The Practical Effect on Selling From Turkey to the EU

It's important to be clear here: there's no Turkey-specific clause in Apple's official texts. The rules look at which EU storefront the app is distributed in, not the developer's country (the phrase "apps distributed in EU storefronts" keeps recurring).

Here's what that means: if you're a Turkey-based company developing an app and publishing it on the App Store storefront of Germany, France, or any EU member country, the sales in that storefront are subject to the new commission regime and entitlement rules — where your company is incorporated doesn't change that equation. You should treat this as an inference based on the agreement's language; Apple hasn't yet published a sentence stating "a special exception for Turkey-based developers."

In practice, this turns into a checklist like the following:

• Review which countries you sell in on App Store Connect (the Pricing and Availability tab) — if EU member-country storefronts are on the list, the new terms cover you.
• If you're not planning to use alternative payment or link-out (just standard App Store IAP), practically all you need to do is accept the new agreement — your commission rate updates automatically against the new table.
• If you're planning to use alternative payment or run your own marketplace, prepare your entitlement application now; factor into your budget that once you pick a payment option (App Store IAP, in-app alternative payment, web link-out, or a combination), that choice can't be changed for 12 months.

At this point, the StoreKit 2 Production Guide: Modern IAP with Async/Await article shows how to set up the technical integration side (receipt validation, transaction listener) via StoreKit 2 — the new commission regime doesn't change the StoreKit API surface, it only affects the rate Apple applies in the background.

The 90-Day Travel Rule

Among the app installation experience updates coming in fall 2026, Apple is also bringing clarity for users traveling outside the EU: "Let EU users install alternative app marketplaces and alternatively distributed apps for 90 days when traveling outside the EU." So when an EU user travels to, say, Istanbul on vacation, they can keep installing alternative marketplaces or alternatively distributed apps for 90 days. Apple's text defines this installation window; it doesn't contain a separate provision about updating or continuing to use those apps afterward.

Here's a simple pseudocode example to illustrate the decision flow for an alternative payment integration (eligibility check → parental gate → payment routing) — don't read this as an actual StoreKit API; AltPaymentProduct and isEligibleForAlternativePayment are made-up names here. For the real entitlement names and API signatures, you need to check Apple's official StoreKit documentation, since this area is still under active development:

1// PSEUDOCODE — NOT a real StoreKit type/API, illustrates the decision flow only
2struct AltPaymentProduct {
3    let isEligibleForAlternativePayment: Bool
4}
5 
6func presentAlternativePaymentFlow(for product: AltPaymentProduct) {
7    guard product.isEligibleForAlternativePayment else {
8        // Fall back to the standard App Store IAP flow (actual StoreKit 2 call)
9        // Task { try await storeKitProduct.purchase() }
10        return
11    }
12 
13    // If parental consent is required (Kids category / under 13 / under 16 in some storefronts)
14    if requiresParentalGate(for: currentUserAgeGroup) {
15        presentParentalGate { approved in
16            guard approved else { return }
17            openExternalPaymentSheet(for: product)
18        }
19    } else {
20        openExternalPaymentSheet(for: product)
21    }
22}

If you want to put a number on the revenue-side difference, you can model your app's effective commission based on its own channel mix like this:

1def effective_commission_rate(channel_mix: dict, is_reduced: bool) -> float:
2    """
3    channel_mix: {"app_store_iap": 0.7, "alt_payment": 0.2, "alt_marketplace": 0.1}
4    must sum to 1.0
5    """
6    rates_standard = {"app_store_iap": 0.26, "alt_payment": 0.20, "alt_marketplace": 0.05}
7    rates_reduced = {"app_store_iap": 0.15, "alt_payment": 0.10, "alt_marketplace": 0.05}
8    rates = rates_reduced if is_reduced else rates_standard
9    return sum(channel_mix[k] * rates[k] for k in channel_mix)
10 
11# Example: 70% of revenue from App Store IAP, 20% from alternative payment, 10% from alternative marketplace
12print(effective_commission_rate(
13    {"app_store_iap": 0.7, "alt_payment": 0.2, "alt_marketplace": 0.1},
14    is_reduced=False
15))  # 0.227 -> effective 22.7% commission

A spreadsheet like this lets you see which channel is financially smarter to weight toward for your business — remember to also factor in the alternative payment processor's own transaction fee, since that rate varies from provider to provider, so check the rate in your own contract with them.

If subscriptions make up a large share of your revenue, also review how offer codes and winback campaigns interact with the new commission table — the App Store Connect Subscriptions: Offer Codes, Family Sharing, Winback article covers these mechanisms in detail. If you sell cross-platform (iOS + Android) and want to manage everything from a single subscription infrastructure, the RevenueCat Cross-Platform Subscription: iOS + Android One SDK guide shows which integration points to review while factoring in the new EU commission regime.

If you do receipt validation server-side, remember that in an alternative payment flow, this validation happens outside the App Store — the Server-Side Receipt Validation: StoreKit 2 + Play Billing Cross-Platform article explains how to build that cross-platform validation architecture.

Treating Agreement Acceptance as a Checkpoint

It might be tempting to accept the new agreement in your Apple Developer account and never think about it again. But this package brings three separate commission regimes (App Store IAP, in-app alternative payment, out-of-app link-out) and a 12-month lock-in rule, all at once. My recommendation: before accepting the agreement, go through your current revenue channels one by one (is it App Store IAP, a third-party subscription SDK, your own payment infrastructure?) against the new table and write down which category each falls into.

Then answer one question: "Does this acceptance lock me into a payment option I can't change for 12 months?" If yes, hold a 30-minute decision meeting with finance and product before signing — regretting it after acceptance costs far more than that meeting would. It's a more practical approach than reading the legal text line by line: treat the agreement not as "just an update" to skim, but as a decision point that directly affects your revenue model.

FAQ

What is Core Technology Commission (CTC) and who is it charged to?

CTC is the new model announced on August 18, 2026 to replace Apple's old Core Technology Fee (a flat fee per install): a flat 5% commission on digital sales made in the EU through alternative app marketplaces or web distribution. It only applies to developers using a distribution channel outside the App Store — developers using in-App-Store IAP don't pay CTC; they're subject to the standard 26%/15% commission instead.

How did the commission structure in the EU look on October 1, 2026?

Apple is moving all EU developers to a single "unified business terms" set: those using App Store IAP pay 26% (15% for the reduced group), those using an alternative payment processor pay 20% (10% reduced), those linking out of the app pay 15% (10% reduced, 7-day window), and alternative marketplace or web distribution carries the 5% CTC. The Initial Acquisition Fee and the old Store Services Fee are fully removed.

Is a developer selling from Turkey to EU users affected?

There's no Turkey-specific exception in Apple's official texts. The rules rest on the phrase "apps distributed in EU storefronts" — meaning what determines this is which App Store country storefront the app is distributed in, not the developer's own country. A Turkey-based developer listing their app on an EU member country's storefront is subject to the new terms for those sales.

As a developer who already paid the old Core Technology Fee, what should I do?

If you have fees or commissions accrued and owed under old agreements, this transition doesn't affect that — in Apple's words, "Developers that owe Apple fees and commissions accrued under the discontinued agreements will remain responsible for paying those amounts to Apple." Accepting the new agreement doesn't zero out past debt; you need to complete reconciliation through the existing process.

What happens if I don't accept the new terms?

Apple's official texts don't contain an explicit sanction clause for this scenario, but the old EU-specific addenda (Alternative Terms Addendum, StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement EU Addendum) are being retired on October 1, 2026. The practical result: if you have an alternative payment or distribution flow relying on old entitlements without having accepted the new agreement, you need to verify the validity of those flows after October 1 via App Store Connect.

If I'm in the small business program, do I automatically move to the reduced rate?

If you're already enrolled in the App Store Small Business Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, or Video Partner Program, the reduced rates (15% for App Store IAP, 10% for alternative payment, 10% for link-out) apply automatically starting October 1, 2026 — you don't need to submit a separate application; your existing program membership is enough.

Conclusion

Apple's EU package, taking effect October 1, 2026, represents a shift in DMA compliance from an era of temporary addenda to a permanent, single-framework era. Retiring the Core Technology Fee in favor of the revenue-based 5% CTC reduces fixed-cost risk especially for developers weighing distribution channels outside the App Store; but the three separate commission regimes and the 12-month lock-in rule call for a careful revenue-channel analysis before accepting the agreement.

Your practical next steps: check your current revenue split against the table above, confirm your eligibility for the Small Business Program or a similar reduced rate via App Store Connect, and if you have an alternative payment/marketplace plan, design your parental gate and entitlement requirements ahead of time. For the technical details of a StoreKit 2 integration, see Modern In-App Purchase with StoreKit 2; if you want to optimize App Store discoverability alongside the new commission structure, check the App Store Optimization (ASO): Get Your App Discovered guide. If you want to see what building an App Store strategy around real revenue numbers looks like, I Made $1M on the iOS App Store: The Real Strategy and Numbers is one of the most concrete examples out there.

Sources

• Apple Developer — Changes for apps in the European Union — The official August 18, 2026 announcement, defining the Core Technology Commission and the effective date.
• Apple Developer — Payment options on the App Store in the EU — The full commission table and child safety rules.
• Apple Developer — Changes for apps in the European Union (Support Page) — Alternative marketplace eligibility criteria, CTC exemption thresholds, the 90-day travel rule, monthly reporting obligation.
• Apple Developer — Updated License Agreement now available — Announcement of Attachment 14 and the agreement-acceptance mechanism.
• Apple Newsroom — Apple announces changes for apps in the European Union — The overall framing and rationale for the changes.
• Apple Developer Forums — REQUIRED_AGREEMENTS_MISSING_OR_EXPIRED — Source of the 403 error code the App Store Connect API returns when an agreement is missing.
• Courthouse News — EU welcomes Apple steps to comply with digital rules — The European Commission's official response.