It seems that Apple's recently added option for App Store developers to include links to external payment methods is not so attractive. In a hearing on Friday as part of the ongoing legal battle with Epic, Apple said only 38 developers have applied to add such links, out of about 65,000 who could, according to . The new guidelines require developers to get approval from Apple before they can add alternative payment options and stipulate that they will still have to pay a commission of up to 27 percent.
The changes were intended to satisfy a court order ordered by U.S. District Judge Yvonne González Rogers in 2021, but, according to In March, Epic called Apple's enforcement attempt “a sham” and filed a complaint in court. At this point, Rogers doesn't seem impressed either. “It seems to me like the goal is to maintain the business model and the revenue that it had in the past,” Rogers said of Apple's solution during the latest hearing, according to Bloomberg.
In addition to Apple's commission, developers must also consider payment processing fees, which together could lead them to pay even more than before. “Are you telling me that a thousand people were involved (in approving the new fee) and not one of them said maybe we should consider the cost (to developers)?” the judge supposedly said.