Been reading about the new iOS payment rules but honestly can’t tell what’s actually allowed.
Seems like there are still major restrictions and fees even for external payments. Has anyone actually implemented this successfully?
Ran into this with a subscription app earlier this year. Apple still takes a cut even on external payments - around 12-17% depending on your situation.
The real pain is the user flow. You have to show Apple’s warning screens before redirecting users out of the app. Most people just bounce at that point.
We tested it for three months and conversion dropped by about 30%. The lower fees didn’t make up for losing that many users.
Sticking with Apple’s payment system ended up being better for our numbers.
Seems like a hassle. Stick to in-app payments.
Still pretty restrictive from what I’ve seen. The fees make it barely worth it for most apps.
External payments can be done but they are not practical for most apps. The mandatory Apple warning screens scare users away before they can pay. You are also still paying Apple 12-17% which cuts into any savings. It only makes sense for apps with huge volume or those needing to build a long-term payment strategy. For most, sticking with in-app payments is the better option.
The external payment option exists but comes with many hoops that most developers skip.
You need Apple approval first and then deal with mandatory warning messages that scare users away. They also want their commission on top of everything else.
Unless you have huge volume or specific reasons, standard App Store payments usually work better.