App Store Developers in South Korea Can Now Use Alternative Payment Providers
Apple has informed App Store developers in South Korea that they can now begin offering users alternative payment systems in their apps. The change comes after the country passed a law that bans app store operators from requiring developers to use their own in-app purchase systems.
Apple's developer update on apps distributed in South Korea begins with Apple saying that the App Store was designed "to be a safe and trusted place to discover and download apps," but continues by explaining that the change is simply to ensure that the company is complying with local law:
The Telecommunications Business Act in South Korea was recently amended to mandate that apps distributed by app market operators in South Korea be allowed to offer an alternative payment processing option within their apps. To comply with this law, developers can use the StoreKit External Purchase Entitlement. This entitlement allows apps distributed on the App Store solely in South Korea the ability to provide an alternative in-app payment processing option. Developers who want to continue using Apple's in-app purchase system may do so and no further action is needed.
Apple goes on to caution developers that using the entitlement will cause some App Store features like Ask to Buy and Family Sharing to be unavailable to their users. The reason for this, Apple explains, is because payments that take place outside of the App Store's own payment system cannot be validated. As such:
"Apple will not be able to assist users with refunds, purchase history, subscription management, and other issues encountered when purchasing digital goods and services through an alternative purchasing method."
Apple provides developers with a list of pre-approved payment service providers (PCPs) in South Korea that includes KCP, Incise, Toss, and NICE. Developers can still use a different PSP, but it must meet the same criteria of having a secure payment processing system and an established track record of protecting user privacy. Notably, Apple will earn a 26% commission on all processed sales, despite the Korean regulator's misgivings about commissions taken on third-party payment systems.
Developers interested in using the StoreKit External Purchase Entitlement for apps in South Korea can get started by submitting an entitlement request form.
Related Stories
Apple is to again be investigated by South Korea's telecommunications regulator, alongside Google and One Store, over suspected violations of in-app payment rules.
In a statement (via Reuters), the Korea Communications Commissions (KCC) said that it conducted an inspection of Apple, Google, and One Store since May 17 to determine if they have violated in-app payment laws, and concluded that...
Apple will let App Store developers offer alternative payment systems in South Korea after the country passed a law that bans app store operators from requiring developers to use their own in-app purchase systems, reports The Korea Herald.
Apple still plans to charge a reduced fee on purchases made through alternative payment systems, according to plans the company submitted to the Korea...
Thursday February 3, 2022 2:36 am PST by
Sami FathiApple's plans to allow developers to use third-party alternative payments methods within their apps in South Korea "lacks concrete detail," according to South Korea's Communications Commission (KCC).
In August, South Korea passed a law that bans app store operators from requiring developers to use their in-app purchase systems. Last month, Apple submitted its compliance plans to the KCC that ...
Wednesday September 29, 2021 7:18 am PDT by
Sami FathiApple and Google have been asked to provide compliance plans for a newly amended law in South Korea that bars both tech giants from forcing developers to using their in-app purchase payment system for their respective app distribution platforms, Reuters reports.
In August, South Korea passed an amendment to an existing law that bans Apple and Google from mandating developers to use their own ...
Thursday November 11, 2021 1:39 am PST by
Sami FathiEpic Games CEO Tim Sweeney will appear next week at a conference in South Korea to discuss the fairness of mobile app platforms and ecosystems amid his company's ongoing tension with Apple, according to a press release.
Sweeney will be joined by other members and representatives of the "Coalition for App Fairness," a group of developers and companies lobbying against Apple's...
Apple is not doing enough to comply with South Korean legislation that forbids app store operators from forcing developers to use their payment systems, according to lawmaker Jo Seoung-lae, Reuters reports.
Via an amendment to the Telecommunication Business Act, South Korea is the first country endeavouring to stop developers from being forced to use a single payment system offered by app...
Apple today announced further changes to its App Store rules for dating apps in the Netherlands in an attempt to comply with requirements put in place by the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM).
Apple says that after "productive conversations" with the ACM, it is making the following updates:- Developers of dating apps in the Netherlands can use the StoreKit External Purchase...
Apple has announced that it will allow third-party payment options for in-app purchases for dating apps in the Netherlands, in the first ever concession of its kind.
In a message posted on its developer site late on Friday, Apple announced that it will comply with a Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) ruling that compels the company to allow third-party payment services to...
Popular Stories
Sunday September 25, 2022 2:27 pm PDT by
Sami FathiA YouTuber has put Apple's claims for the durability of the Apple Watch Ultra to the test by putting it up against a drop test, a jar of nails, and repeated hits with a hammer to test the sapphire crystal protecting the display.
TechRax, a channel popular for testing the durability of products, first tested the Apple Watch Ultra by dropping it from around four feet high. The Apple Watch...
Upon the release of the second-generation AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max became the oldest current-generation AirPods product still in Apple's lineup. Introducing several new features like Adaptive Transparency and the H2 chip, the second-generation AirPods Pro may provide some of the best indications yet of what to expect from the second-generation AirPods Max.
Almost two years later, rumors...
Sunday September 25, 2022 10:57 am PDT by
Sami FathiAs we approach the end of a busy product release season for Apple with only new iPads and Macs left to be announced over the next month or so, we're also setting our sights on 2023. Apple is rumored to have several major products in the pipeline for next year, including new Macs, a new HomePod, a VR/AR headset, and so much more.
Other than new iPhones and Apple Watches, which are expected...
Sunday September 25, 2022 6:50 am PDT by
Sami FathiApple may decide to release its remaining products for 2022, which include updated iPad Pro, Mac mini, and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, through press releases on its website rather than a digital event, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple is currently "likely to release its remaining 2022 products via press releases,...
The Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra are now available to purchase, but if you aren't interested in these updates you can save a lot of money on Series 7 models right now on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The best deals are on cellular...
Sunday September 25, 2022 7:02 am PDT by
Sami FathiApple is gearing up to possibly replace its "Pro Max" iPhone with an all-new "Ultra" iPhone 15 model next year, reliable Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman said today.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that for the iPhone 15, Apple is planning a revamped design alongside USB-C and a potential name change. Apple could replace its "Pro Max" branding, which it started to use...
Friday September 23, 2022 9:40 am PDT by
Sami FathiCustomers who personalize their second-generation AirPods Pro charging case with an engraving will now have that engraving reflected directly on iOS as they pair and connect their AirPods Pro. Apple allows customers to personalize their AirPods Pro charging case with a special engraving that can include select emojis and Memojis. Unlike before, starting with the second-generation AirPods...
Monday September 26, 2022 7:34 am PDT by
Sami FathiToday marks exactly two weeks since Apple released iOS 16 to the public. Besides the personalized Lock Screen, major changes in Messages, and new features in Maps, the update has also seen its fair share of bugs, performance problems, battery drain, and more.
After major iOS updates, it's normal for some users to report having issues with the new update, but such reports usually subside in...
Apple plans to release new MacBook Pro models in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to supply chain publication DigiTimes. The report does not mention specific models, but it very likely refers to the next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros given that the 13-inch model was already updated earlier this year.
There has been uncertainty surrounding the timing of new 14-inch and...
Top Rated Comments
“But we pay a yearly developer fee”
That fee is like buying a Sam’s Club or Costco Membership. All it does it get you in the door. You can’t just walk through those stores fill up your carts and walk out with everything for free. You still have to pay for the products/services rendered.
Apple has a right to do business the way they want within the guidelines of the law.
“Oh but Apple wouldn’t be anything with out the developer”
Yeah, but those developers wouldn’t be anything with out the system Apple created and paid for. The street goes both ways, but someone had to pay for it. Apple has a right, just like any other business, to turn a profit.
Is there room for improvement? Yes.
If you don’t like something, don’t support it.
Do you seriously believe creating and maintaining the developer tools, the OSes, the App Store, app review, hosting, and so on is "nothing"?
Elizabeth Warren, is that you?
LOL developers wouldn’t be anything without Apple. LOL² that was a good one!
You’re talking about it as if Apple invented the software development industry. ?
I would rather say Apple wouldn’t be anything without the developers, because most of their crap are built on stuff which existed already, from core libraries to kernels to drivers and core development tools parts and CPU architecture(ARM).
Even their crapy anticompetitive AppStore runs on Java.
Apple is a good puzzler, that’s it.
And since Steve Jobs passed away, they released just crap.
Just as inconvenient as Apples „Right to repair“ process.
Sounds nice on paper but