Apple Now Letting Developers Enroll for Reduced 15% App Store Fees

Apple in November announced a new App Store Small Business Program that lowers App Store fees for small business owners and independent developers to 15 percent, down from the standard 30 percent. The program is set to launch on January 1, 2021, and as of today, eligible developers are able to sign up.

app store 15 percent feature
Apple has launched an App Store Small Business Program website that has all of the information that developers need to know, along with signup tools. The program is open to all developers who earn less than $1 million from the ‌App Store‌ in a calendar year, which applies to 98 percent of developers, according to a recent analysis.

When initially announcing the program, Apple promised to provide developers with more information, and has today done so through the ‌App Store‌ Small Business Program website. The site walks through the basics of how it works, answering questions about eligibility, app transfers, payouts, and more.

The 15 percent fee applies to paid app purchases, in-app purchases, and subscription fees, and this year, all developers who earned under $1 million from the ‌App Store‌ in 2020 are able to qualify for the program. Developers new to the ‌App Store‌ will also be able to participate.

Notably, today's information clarifies that the $1 million total applies to Associated Developer Accounts.

To participate in the program, you and your Associated Developer Accounts must have earned no more than 1 million USD in total proceeds (sales net of Apple's commission and certain taxes and adjustments) during the 12 fiscal months occurring within the 2020 calendar year, and have earned no more than 1 million USD during the current year.

It also says that app transfers are not allowed while participating in the program. Any app transfer initiated after December 31, 2020 makes a developer ineligible to participate in the program.

Apple says that developers should submit their enrollment by December 18, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time to receive program benefits by January 1, 2021. More information can be found on Apple's site.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Air Colors Thumb 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air Rumored to Come in These 9 Colors

Friday July 11, 2025 12:30 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will be available in a total of nine color options, according to new information coming out of Asia. The iPhone 17 Air's expected color options. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, accessory manufacturers are now producing camera protector rings for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air in colors to match their...

Top Rated Comments

Yoshimura Avatar
60 months ago

No, it really is ridiculous.

There is absolutely no reason you should need to apply for anything.
How Apple might know the following if developer were not required to enroll?!?!?!?

?




Attachment Image
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dguisinger Avatar
60 months ago
The fact that you have to enroll in this when clearly they could instantly run a report and decide who pays what rate is ridiculous.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Savage Avatar
60 months ago
Does anyone think the crushed App Store icon is some pretty slick editing?



Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
60 months ago

The fact that you have to enroll in this when clearly they could instantly run a report and decide who pays what rate is ridiculous.
Ridiculous? No, it's not. The terms and conditions have changed and the applicant must agree to them. Not a biggie. Though I suspect some here will believe there's something nefarious going on.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
60 months ago

Way to put words in my mouth.
I said they change the terms and conditions ALL THE TIME. They don't force developers to re-enroll their apps when they do, their terms of service says you automatically accept those changes.
Not a problem. If you find the process too onerous, simply do nothing.

As an aside, a developer up above said it took one minute to enroll. I suspect he/she was motivated going forward, rather than complaining about the process.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tribeaumes Avatar
60 months ago
Y’all are annoying. Stop your complaining and just apply. Apple didn’t have to offer anything to begin with.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)