Apple said on Wednesday that it would loosen strict payment rules for certain app developers including Netflix and Spotify, allowing them to include links to their websites that would enable the companies to bypass the fees imposed by the iPhone maker.
The concession was prompted by an investigation into Apple’s App Store by the Japan Fair Trade Commission but will apply globally. From early 2022, Apple will let developers of these apps share a single link to their website to help users set up and manage their accounts, the tech group said late on Wednesday.
The iPhone maker’s decision came after South Korea this week became the first country to pass a law that would allow mobile phone users to pay software developers directly for their apps rather than be forced to do so via the in-app payment systems of platforms such as Apple and Google.