Apple cuts subscription fee in a bid to appease publishers

Apple has changed its in-app subscription policy, removing the 30% commission that is charges publishers who sell subscriptions within iPhone and iPad apps.

Publishers can now charge cheaper subscription fees outside the App Store – as long as their app doesn’t have a buy button that directs users away from Apple’s marketplace.

Apple’s terms now read: “Apps can read or play approved content… that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app, as long as there is no button or external link in the app to purchase the approved content… Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues for approved content that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app.”

The changes follow the stand-off between Apple and the Financial Times, which has recently launched an Apple-less app approach using HTML downloads.

FT.com’s MD Rob Grimshaw says Apple still isn’t giving publishers enough freedom to sell subscriptions inside their own apps

“It’s great that Apple is listening to publishers but I still want to use it as a sales channel,” he said. “Increasingly, app stores are coming with strings attached. If you want to market within the App Store you’re quite constrained.”