Apple has threatened to remove crowdfunding app Patreon from the App Store if creators continue to use unsupported third-party billing options or disable transactions on iOS instead of using Apple's own in-app purchasing system. In a blog post and email to Patreon creators about the upcoming changes to its iOS app memberships, the company said it has begun a 16-month transition process to move all creators to Apple's subscription billing by November 2025.
Patreon also notified creators that it will switch to subscription billing starting in November 2024, but creators can decide whether to set a higher membership fee to cover Apple's fees or pay the fees themselves. In addition, the company said creators can also postpone the transition until November 2025 in Patreon settings. However, if creators choose the latter option, they will not be able to offer memberships on their iOS app until they adopt Apple's subscription billing, as Apple's rules will take effect from this November.
The announcement is another example of Apple's App Store rules being applied unfairly — a charge Apple has faced in the past, such as from Fortnite developer Epic Games, which sued the company over antitrust issues. Epic nearly lost the case, as the court ruled that Apple isn't a monopoly, but it did decide that the iPhone maker must allow links to other payment methods in its apps. As a result, Apple now allows developers to advertise subscriptions via links to their websites, but takes a commission of 27% instead of the usual 30%, and 12% instead of 15% for subscriptions that auto-renew into the second year (whether Apple will comply with the court's injunction is still being contested in court).
Despite Apple's rules and policies, Patreon existed in a strange gray area: some subscription-based services are available within the app and some aren't. Another reason for Patreon's exception is that many users don't use Patreon itself to discover creators and content, Patreon CEO Jack Conte told technology news site The Verge in 2021. Instead, discovery happened through other channels. The app had been able to circumvent Apple's in-app purchase requirements for some time, although the company acknowledged that it hadn't made a special deal with Apple to avoid App Store fees.
Apparently, Patreon isn't happy with Apple's recent pressure to comply with its policies, telling creators that neither of the options presented to them – raising subscription prices or covering the costs themselves – is “ideal.”
“The vast majority of creators on Patreon use subscription billing,” Patreon's blog post noted. “Over the past few years, we've been introducing it slowly, ironing out each hurdle as it arose to make the transition less disruptive for creators. That's how we roll out products. Unfortunately, Apple's timeline and constraints mean we can't continue this way. Instead of helping creators move to subscription billing when they feel it's right for them, we're now forced to transition all creators on Apple's timeline.”
The company reminded creators that Apple's fees only apply to its iOS app, and that they can still offer the same prices on the web and Android, and directed fans to a Help Center article explaining the iOS fees so subscribers “can better understand the impact of where they make their purchases.”
Patreon and Apple were not immediately available for comment.