Apple has announced that it will remove crowdfunding app Patreon from the App Store if its developers continue to use unauthorized third-party billing methods or disable transactions on iOS instead of using Apple’s in-app purchasing system.
In a recent blog post and email to Patreon creators, the tech giant announced a 16-month transition plan to move all membership billing to Apple’s subscription system by November 2025.
Creators on Patreon have been informed that Apple will switch all memberships to subscription billing starting in November 2024.
They can either increase their membership prices to cover Apple’s commission or cover the costs themselves.
Creators can also postpone the migration to November 2025 through their Patreon settings.
However, the delay means they will not be able to offer memberships through the iOS app until they switch to Apple’s subscription billing, which will be mandatory from November this year.
Patreon said neither option—raising subscription prices nor covering the costs itself—was “ideal.”
However, it was stressed that Apple’s fees only apply to the iOS app, while developers’ prices on the web and in the Android app remained “completely unaffected”.
“Most creators on Patreon use subscription billing. Over the past few years, we’ve rolled it out slowly, removing every hurdle that came along to ensure the migration isn’t disruptive to creators,” the blog post said.
“This is how we like to bring products to market. Unfortunately, we can’t continue to do so due to Apple’s schedules and limitations. Instead of helping developers move to subscription billing if and when they feel it’s right for them, we are now forced to migrate all developers according to Apple’s schedule.”
Patreon also encourages creators to direct their fans to a help article with detailed information about iOS fees to help subscribers understand the impact of their purchasing decisions.
Apple has previously been accused of unfairly enforcing the rules of its App Store. Major criticism came from Fortnite maker Epic Games, which sued the company over antitrust concerns.
