Apple cuts App Store fees for companies with a turnover of less than a million dollars

Apple announced this Wednesday a reduction to half of the commissions it charges to companies and developers that do business through its App Store.

The American technology company will cut from 30% to 15% the amount it retains in all transactions made by users in the digital store, both to buy applications, to contract subscriptions or to purchase products within the

.

But only if the income of these companies and developers is less than a million dollars (about 857,000 euros).

The

, as Apple has baptized the commission cut program, will begin on January 1 and will be aimed at small businesses, although any company with a turnover of less than a million dollars a year can join - net income after commission. through the digital store, so it will affect "the vast majority" of companies hosted in the App Store, according to the device manufacturer.

Apple has specified that both companies that already have their applications hosted in the cloud and new developers who enter in the future will be able to access the discount.

The scheme will be dynamic: if the company exceeds the income threshold, it will pay 30% again, and if it pays that amount and does not reach a million dollars in turnover, the following year it will see its reduced rate.

"The App Store has been a true engine of economic growth, and has helped create millions of new jobs," says Apple CEO Tim Cook in a note.

"This new program will help entrepreneurs finance their companies, take risks with new ideas, expand their teams and continue to create apps that improve people's lives."

The news comes at a difficult time for the US manufacturer's digital store, in full legal dispute with the developer Epic Games and its flagship, Fortnite.

The video game company sued Apple in August for unfair competition in relation to the collection of 30% commission and the control that the mobile manufacturer has over its terminals and applications.

In Europe, Apple is also facing an investigation by the European Commission, which in June accused the multinational of circumventing competition laws through the App Store.

According to Brussels, the technology forces the purchases made by users within the iPhone and iPad applications to be made through Apple's payment platform, which guarantees Tim Cook's company the collection of the commission.

Spotify, which also competes with the

Apple Music

service

and has complained about the fees and rules of the App Store, has described the program presented by Apple this Wednesday as a "showcase", and has commented that it should be ignored by antitrust regulators, according to Bloomberg.