South Korea Delays Bill That Would Ban Apple From Requiring Developers to Use In-App Purchase System

South Korea has delayed voting on a bill that would ban Apple and Google from requiring developers to use their in-app purchasing systems, a move that would open the door to allowing third-party payment methods, representing a possible significant threat to Apple and Google's app marketplace business models.

Mac App Store General Feature
The bill, coming in the form of an amendment to the existing Telecommunications Business Act, was widely reported to have been voted on today. However, the National Assembly's schedule and agenda lacked mention of the amendment, instead focusing on other bills on the press, economy, and more. A date for the assembly to vote on the bill has not yet been set.

The bill, if it passes, will aim to stop Apple and Google from unfairly exploiting their position to "force a provider of mobile content, etc., to use a specific payment method," according to a readout of the bill.

It would also be the first time any government takes substantive legislative steps to regulate and control Apple and Google's app distribution platforms. Both platforms have been under increased scrutiny in recent years, with lawmakers, developers, and others calling out the need for regulation and a crackdown on behavior possibly deemed as "anti-competitive."

Apple's in-app purchasing system has been at the center of scrutiny ever since game developer Epic Games, in August of last year, avoided Apple's App Store policy by implementing a direct payment method in its hit game Fortnite. Apple's current ‌App Store‌ policy bans developers from allowing users to use payment methods other than the platform's, which gives Apple a 15% to 30% commission on all digital purchases made.

Apple has defended its system in the wake of the controversy, saying that it protects users from fraud and potential scams and offers developers an easy way to charge users for services and products without a need for significant overhead.

The bill has gained increasing support in the past few weeks, including from the Coalition for App Fairness. The coalition consists of ‌Epic Games‌, Spotify, developers, and vocal anti-Apple critics taking issue with how Apple operates its ‌App Store‌ and the nature of its products. Earlier this month, the head of the coalition met with lead South Korean officials to lend their support for the bill.

It remains unclear how Apple and Google will respond or adjust their app marketplaces in South Korea once the bill does pass. Apple utilizes a single ‌App Store‌ policy for all the countries in which the ‌App Store‌ operates. Unless the company offers developers in South Korea a different set of rules, which could be a slippery slope for international developers, the company may be forced to alter its ways globally.

In brief remarks to reporters on Thursday, Han Sang-hyuk, the chairman of South Korea's Communications Commission, said his committee and colleagues are "fully aware of the concerns of Apple and Google" and that South Korea will work with both companies to implement the bill.

Apple charges all developers a $99 annual fee to be registered developers on its platforms. The company's commission charge for in-app purchases is one of just a few ways it collects revenue from the ‌App Store‌. For the third quarter of this year, Apple recorded an all-time revenue record for its services business, including the ‌App Store‌ of $17.5 billion.

Last week, Apple settled with developers to changes to the ‌App Store‌, including a change in ‌App Store‌ policy that will allow developers to email users about payment methods available outside of the platform. The updated policy allows users to opt into communication from developers informing them of payment methods outside the platform, bypassing the need for developers to give Apple a 30% commission.

Critics of the ‌App Store‌ have called the new policy a minimal change in the overall scheme of the ‌App Store‌. Spotify's chief legal officer, Horacio Gutierrez, said that Apple's new policy fails to "address the most basic aspects of their anticompetitive and unfair ‌App Store‌ practices." Gutierrez goes on to say that Apple is "attempting to distract policymakers and regulators and slow down the momentum that’s building around the world to address their behavior."

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

draig Avatar
50 months ago
What is ridiculous is how often these sorts of fights get presented as about users, protecting users, offering users more choices when really it is only about money.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
draig Avatar
50 months ago

It’s Korean so Samsung protection maybe? I don’t know why all these companies expect apple to open up the thing that got them rich?
Cause they want a slice of the pie
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
840quadra Avatar
50 months ago
All of these regulations (worldwide and different nations) are going to amount to death by 1000 cuts. I wonder at what point companies like Apple / Google / etc just pull out of some markets, or go back to not offering some services in various nations due to all the regulations.

Price of being a big company (not just tech) here and now I guess.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FightTheFuture Avatar
50 months ago

Cause they want a slice of the pie
They’re already getting a slice of the pie. Samsung sources components for Apple beyond just iPhones.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Krizoitz Avatar
50 months ago

I know Apple created an amazing eco system for IOS, they did it, nobody else ... BUT ... I still wish there was an alternative to the Apple store to allow users a choice of picking applications certified by Apple in their store or an alternative. Microsoft does not demand that third-party software I run on my Windows system is purchased from their store, the same is true for Apple's MacOS.
It’s fine to want this, I totally respect that. But Apple shouldn’t be forced to do it. Microsoft also doesn’t allow for 3rd party stores on Xbox, different products with different options, same as iPhone and Mac.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Krizoitz Avatar
50 months ago

What is ridiculous is how often these sorts of fights get presented as about users, protecting users, offering users more choices when really it is only about money.
Yup, as an end user I’m thrilled that i don’t have to deal with dozens of different payment services to use my iPhone. Having Apple, a company I trust way more than Epic or any of the other “Coalition” members, be who handles my payment details is far superior. So yeah, to me this is a better system. The people who benefit from the alternative are not users, but other companies like Epic (who, meanwhile, do they exact same thing in their own store). Epic et. al can offer 3rd party stores on Android. They can develop their own smartphone OS. They can refuse to develop for iOS and try to get users to put pressure on Apple to change their mind. But forcing it by bills like this is BS. And this is the same Epic who was featured prominently by Apple for YEARS in the AppStore and at keynotes. Then Fortnite took off and people got addicted to micro transactions. Shame.

Honestly I’d love to see Apple either just completely disallow in app purchases in Korea or pull out of Korea if this bill ever passes. It’s hardly a key market given the dominance of Samsung in its home country.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)