Apple extends in-app purchase exemption for digital group classes

According to a statement on Apple’s developer site, the deadline for online group and event applications to comply with the company’s in-app purchase policy has been extended once again. Apps in this category can now use other payment methods until June 30th, letting them to avoid Apple’s 15% to 30% cut from in-app sales. 

This comes as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to force businesses to shift their focus from in-person to digital services. Apple also stated that applications that provide real-time person-to-person interactions between individuals can employ payment methods other than in-app purchase, according to its App Store guidelines. Tutoring students, medical consultations, real estate tours, and fitness training are all examples of where this might be beneficial. 

After facing backlash for charging event platforms a commission during a pandemic, Apple decided to postpone its group event app rule until November 2020, and then extended it until December 31st, 2021. 

As the world fights back against the pandemic, this will continue to aid small enterprises and others that have had to pivot their services online. 

Apple has updated the criteria for the future App Tracking Transparency feature, which will be available with the public release of iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and TVOS 14.5.