Stripe Empowers iOS Developers to Avoid Apple's App Store Commission
Following a recent court ruling against Apple in the Epic Games antitrust trial, Stripe has released documentation guiding iOS developers on bypassing Apple's 30% App Store commission.
Stripe product manager Michael Luo announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the company created a guide to help developers accept payments directly through Stripe, avoiding Apple's in-app purchase system.
Stripe ❤️ iOS developers. Big news iOS app developers! You can now accept payments with Stripe outside of your app, with no iOS App Store commissions. The Stripe team 🧑🍳 cooked up a quick guide walking you through how. Go live now!
Previously, Apple allowed external payment links but imposed a 27% commission and displayed warning messages to users. The court ruled against this practice, prompting Apple to revise its policy.
Stripe's documentation details how developers can integrate a payment link within their apps, redirecting users to a secure Stripe-hosted checkout page for digital goods. While this requires developers to manage their own payment flow, Stripe's standard processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction offer significant savings compared to Apple's commission.
This news has generated considerable excitement among developers, with Luo's announcement receiving thousands of positive reactions on X.
Impact on App Businesses
David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on Rails and co-owner of 37Signals (Basecamp, HEY), a long-time critic of Apple's App Store policies, praised Stripe's solution. He believes this change will enable new business models previously hindered by the 30% commission.
Hansson stated on X that Apple's court loss "is immediately opening up a whole new world for app developers. Entire business models were impossible under the old 30% regime."
This development represents a significant shift in the mobile app landscape, potentially empowering developers and fostering greater competition within the App Store ecosystem.
