October 1, 2026 was the deadline Apple set for developers distributing in the EU: sign the new business terms or face the consequences. The update restructures how Apple gets paid in Europe — and turns your payment-method choice into a 12-month commitment.
What happened
Under the updated EU terms, Apple's commission is now tiered by payment route — standard in-app purchase, alternative in-app payment processing, and external web links each carry their own rate, in standard and discounted tiers (exact figures per Apple's official terms). External-link transactions are attributed within a defined window after the click. The Core Technology Fee's per-install model is gone, replaced by a Core Technology Commission charged as a percentage of sales.
Two structural strings attached: developers must pick a payment combination and live with it for 12 months — no switching mid-year — and file monthly transaction reports within 15 days of the following month. The same October 1 deadline applied to Apple's updated Developer Program License Agreement for the EU (published August 18) and a parallel Brazil version (published June 18). Separately, the agreement points EU developers subject to the Digital Services Act to Apple's DSA redress options page for remedies against Apple enforcement actions, including account termination and app removal.
Who's affected
Any developer distributing in the EU App Store — the terms apply at the storefront level, not per app. Developers using external links or alternative payment processors face new reporting obligations and attribution rules. Teams that had not signed the new DPLA/EU terms by October 1 risk operational disruption. For recovery work, the CTC shift from per-install to per-sales changes how "payout doesn't match" cases are calculated.
KappS's take
- If you distribute in the EU, confirm the new terms are signed — an unsigned agreement is now a business risk, not paperwork.
- Treat the payment-route choice as a 12-month financial decision: model IAP vs alternative payments vs external links on your actual volume before locking in.
- Calendar the monthly reporting deadline (within 15 days after month-end) — missed reports are exactly the kind of compliance gap that triggers payment holds.
- Re-baseline any revenue-share or "missing payout" math: the Core Technology Commission is now on sales, not installs.