Just now, Apple announced a price reduction!

【Introduction】Apple announces reduction of App Store commission rate in China to 25%

Just announced, Apple has reduced it!

Apple’s developer official website shows that, following communication with Chinese regulatory authorities, Apple will make adjustments to the App Store in China.

Apple states that starting from March 15, 2026, the commission rates for iOS and iPadOS applicable to the Chinese mainland App Store will be adjusted.

The standard commission rate for in-app purchases and paid apps on Apple will be reduced from the current 30% to 25%. The commission rate for Apple in-app purchases under the Small Business Program and the Mini Apps Partner Program, as well as the commission rate for auto-renewing subscriptions after the first year that meet the criteria, will be lowered from 15% to 12%.

According to the announcement, this commission rate adjustment will take effect from March 15, 2026, without requiring developers to re-sign terms.

Apple states that it is committed to making iOS and iPadOS the best app ecosystem and a huge business opportunity for Chinese developers. The company promises to maintain fair and transparent terms for all developers and to always provide competitive App Store rates not higher than the overall fee levels in other markets for developers distributing apps in China.

Previous news:

According to a report by China Central Radio and Television’s Economic Voice “World Finance,” in the wave of global digital economy, Apple has built a huge business empire with its closed ecosystem, where the high “Apple tax” commission has been a focus of controversy both inside and outside the industry.

The so-called “Apple tax” is not an actual tax, but refers to channel revenue sharing, meaning that Apple earns profits from game user recharges or purchases of virtual digital services through commissions in the app store on iPhones. Some opinions suggest that, in essence, this is Apple’s “digital toll” under its closed ecosystem, and this fee shows clear country-specific differences worldwide.

In October 2025, multiple Chinese consumers jointly submitted a report to regulatory authorities titled “Report on Apple Company’s Abuse of Market Dominance,” directly pointing out that Apple still maintains the world’s highest commission rate of 30% in China, blocks third-party payments and third-party app stores, and for the first time raised the demand for “zero commission, full openness” at the administrative complaint level.

In markets such as the US, EU, Japan, and South Korea, under a series of regulations and penalties, Apple has opened external payment channels and significantly reduced taxes. For example, in terms of external link alternative payments, the US has reduced to zero, and the EU has lowered to 12% in the first year and 10% from the second year.

Additionally, on March 4 local time, Google Android ecosystem president Sameer Sama announced that the second-largest mobile app store, Google Play, will open its tax reduction globally.

Google announced that it will price its official billing system and commissions separately, allowing developers to use alternative billing systems and guide users to external channels for transactions, significantly lowering commission rates, and launching a “register app store” plan to simplify third-party store sideloading processes. Based on the lowest combination, subscription app developers using Google’s official billing system can have a combined rate as low as 15% (5% billing + 10% commission), nearly halving the previous standard of 30%; if not using Google’s official billing system, only a 10% commission needs to be paid to Google.