Apple has many strong stances, but its biggest hurdle might be simply requiring apps to make purchases through the tech giant. The latest example comes from Patreon, which announced that Apple will require it to do so. Switch to iOS in-app purchasing or risk being banned. Patreon's goal is to allow creators to offer memberships to their “patrons” in exchange for content. While some tiers are unpaid, creators do offer paid options to make money, something this change could affect.
Patreon users should be aware that two major changes are coming. Starting in November, all creators will only be able to offer a subscription-based plan on iOS, as the App Store does not support other formats, such as first-month or per-creation plans. As a result, Patreon is implementing a 16-month migration process that will convert all memberships to subscriptions by November 2025. At that point, subscription-based plans will be the only option available, sadly demonstrating the sheer reach of Apple’s power.
Apple will also take a 30 percent cut of all subscriptions made on the Patreon app for iOS after November of this year, something it has done for Patreon In-App Shopping Since early 2024, Patreon has designed a tool that allows creators to increase their prices on the iOS app and leave them as is on the browser site and Android devices. However, creators can turn this off if they prefer to leave their rates as is.
