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Apple on Wednesday released<\/a> an updated developer license agreement<\/a> that gives the company permission to recoup unpaid funds, such as commissions or any other fees, by deducting them from in-app purchases it processes on developers\u2019 behalf, among other methods.<\/p>\n The change will impact developers in regions where local law allows them to link to external payment systems. In these cases, developers must report those payments back to Apple to pay the required commissions or fees.<\/p>\n The changed agreement seemingly gives Apple a way to collect what it believes is the correct fee if the company determines a developer has underreported their earnings.<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s policies in this area are complex, but the change could impact developers in markets like the EU, U.S., and, now, Japan<\/a>, where developers using external payment systems may be required to pay Apple varying fees or commissions depending on local law. (In the U.S., the legality of these commissions is still being disputed. A federal appeals court earlier this month<\/a> ruled that a district court should consider allowing Apple to collect some commission, though not the full 27% fee it previously charged.)<\/p>\n In its new developer agreement<\/a>, Apple states it will \u201coffset or recoup\u201d what it believes it is owed, including \u201cany amounts collected by Apple on your behalf from end-users.\u201d This means Apple could recoup funds from developers\u2019 in-app purchases \u2014 like those for digital goods, services, and subscriptions \u2014 or from one-time fees for paid applications.<\/p>\n Additionally, Apple notes that it has the right to collect this money \u201cat any time\u201d and \u201cfrom time to time,\u201d meaning developers could face surprise deductions if Apple believes they\u2019ve miscalculated what they owe.<\/p>\n The agreement doesn\u2019t specify how Apple will determine whether it\u2019s owed money.<\/p>\n The types of developer payments that vary over time are limited and include commissions, fees, and taxes. Among these is the Core Technology Fee (CTF) in the EU, which currently costs \u20ac0.50 for each first annual install exceeding one million in the past 12 months. In January 2026, Apple will transition from the CTF to a new fee<\/a>, called the Core Technology Commission (CTC), a more complicated percentage-based fee. Apple will collect the CTC from apps that use external payment methods or are distributed under its alternative business terms for the EU.<\/p>\n The updated developer agreement also gives Apple the right to collect unpaid amounts from any \u201caffiliates, parents, or subsidiaries\u201d related to the account that owes money. In practical terms, that means Apple could collect the money from developers\u2019 other apps, or from apps published by a parent company.<\/p>\n These changes are detailed in Schedules 2 and 3, section 3.4, which focuses on the delivery of applications to end users.<\/p>\n