Apple is lowering the commission it charges on the Taiwan storefront of the App Store, according to a post on its developer news site dated October 29.
Starting October 31, the commission on standard In-App Purchase and paid app transactions on the iOS and iPadOS Taiwan storefront drops to 26 percent. The current rate is 30 percent. Apple's post says developers do not need to sign the updated terms by October 31 in order to receive the reduced rate.
What changed in the paperwork
Apple has also revised the Apple Developer Program License Agreement for the change. Developers can sign in to their accounts to accept the updated terms. A Traditional Chinese translation is linked from the announcement, and Apple says translations of the updated agreement will be posted on the Apple Developer website within one month.
Regulator talks
MacRumors reports that the adjustment follows discussions between Apple and Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission. Apple's own post, as far as it could be verified, does not describe the reasoning in detail.
How it compares
MacRumors notes that 26 percent is the same standard rate Apple has adopted in Japan and the European Union, while in China Apple negotiated a 25 percent commission after talks with that country's State Administration for Market Regulation.
What is not yet clear
Apple's announcement does not say how the change applies to the App Store Small Business Program, which normally carries a lower commission for eligible developers, and it does not mention reader apps. Neither detail is addressed in the post, so developers in Taiwan will want to check the updated agreement for specifics.
The change applies to the Taiwan storefront on iOS and iPadOS only. It arrives days after South Korea's media regulator fined Apple over App Store payment rules, a reminder that regional App Store terms continue to shift market by market under regulatory pressure.
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