Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

Apple to allow Netflix-type apps a sign-up link

Apple to allow Netflix-type apps a sign-up link

Apple will for the first time allow apps like Netflix and Spotify to link to a website where users can sign up and manage new and existing accounts.

Apple says the change to what it calls "reader apps" will apply globally from early 2022.

The change was agreed with the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), closing a five-year investigation.

The settlement does not affect in-app purchases in games, currently the subject of a US lawsuit against Apple.

At present, app developers are required to use Apple's in-app purchase systems, and cannot usually point users to buying content elsewhere.

That means that some apps only work if you already have a subscription obtained elsewhere, and do not offer in-app links to websites where you could sign up.

Apple said the agreement "will help developers of reader apps make it easier for users to set up and manage their apps and services, while protecting their privacy and maintaining their trust".

Apple currently receives a commission of between 15% and 30% on in-app purchases - its App store is a major contributor to the near $54bn (£39bn) the firm makes from its "services" segment .

Outlining its investigation the JFTC said the agreement covered "reader apps".

Apple says this would include apps providing previously purchased content or subscriptions to "digital magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video".

But the changes do not cover games, where the App Store rules are currently the subject of a high-profile US legal dispute with Fortnite developer Epic Games.

Reacting to the latest news, Epic Games' chief executive Tim Sweeney accused Apple of attempting a "divide and conquer" strategy.


Apple faces other legal challenges to how it operates its App Store.

On Tuesday, South Korea's National Assembly passed a bill that once ratified will stop Apple and Google from requiring apps to only use their in-app payment systems.

Apple had previously told the Verge that the bill would, among other issues "put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud".

On Thursday, another case was brought against the firm in India over the required use of its system of in-app purchases.

"The existence of the 30% commission means that some app developers will never make it to the market... this could also result in consumer harm," the filing said, according to Reuters.

Apple is also facing App Store-linked competition scrutiny from the European Commission and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×