Apple has begun rolling out its Small Business Program, allowing smaller, independent developers who earn less than $1 million a year to pay a much lower App Store commission.
The company announced earlier in the year that it was to drop commission rates on app sales and in-app purchases from 30% to 15% for small businesses, following antitrust lawsuits and mounting pressure from world leaders over its monopoly on the App Store.
It had been reported that Apple would launch the new scheme in January, but it seems some developers have been accepted into the App Store Small Business Program early.
Last week, Apple emailed developers who were eligible for the program to let them know that they had been accepted, following their enrollment which began in early December.
Speaking of the program at the time of its announcement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company was launching it to “help small business owners write the next chapter of creativity and prosperity on the App Store, and to build the kind of quality apps our customers love.”
The program has, understandably, received overwhelmingly positive feedback from app developers, who can now earn more from app sales and in-app purchases. Dropping from 30% to 15% will give them a significant income boost during the challenging economic downturn, though it’s important to note that the 15% commission will climb back to 30% once they hit the $1 million earnings threshold.
Are you an app developer? Have you seen your commission rate lowered? Let us know and check back soon for more news and rumors on everything Apple, every week, right here.
