How iPhone Apps Are Changing After a Recent App Store Ruling

In recent days, iPhone apps have been changing. The Kindle app now lets people buy books directly from its site. Spotify is offering users free trials. And Patreon, a subscription service, is letting people pay creators more money.

The changes are an early look at how a recent court ruling could transform the shopping experience on an iPhone. Last week, a federal judge ordered Apple to start allowing apps to offer promotions and collect payments directly from users. The decision makes it possible for apps to offer people new conveniences, like buying books directly from their website. The ruling also lets apps bypass a 30 percent commission that Apple collects on every app sale, which could lead to lower prices for consumers.

For more than a decade, Apple required that apps use its payment system for purchases and collected commission on the sales.

Now, all of that is open to change. Here’s what could be different in the future and why.

What did the judge rule?

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who began working on this case after Epic Games sued Apple in 2020, ruled that Apple could no longer take commissions from sales that link out from the app. She also restricted the company from writing rules that would prevent developers from creating buttons or links allowing people to pay apps directly for their goods and services, and said it could not create messages — known as warning screens — that discourage users from leaving the App Store.

How will iPhone apps change?

For years, Kindle has not sold books on its app to avoid Apple’s 30 percent commission. Now, it has added a “Get Book” button that directs users to its website to buy books. Similarly, Apple prevented Spotify from offering free trials to new customers, but now Spotify has a button on its app for a three-month trial.