Apple has become a debt collector through the new developer agreement

Apple on Wednesday released an updated developer license agreement that gives the company permission to recoup unpaid funds, such as commissions or other fees, by deducting them from in-app purchases it processes on behalf of developers, among other ways.

This change will affect developers in areas where local law allows them to link to external payment systems. In these cases, developers must report these payments to Apple to pay the required commissions or fees.

The changed agreement appears to give Apple a way to collect what it believes is the correct fee if the company determines that the developer has under-reported its earnings.

Apple’s policies in this area are complex, but the change could affect developers in markets like the European Union, the United States, and now Japan, where developers using third-party payment systems may be required to pay different fees or commissions to Apple depending on local law. (In the United States, the legality of these commissions remains in dispute. A federal appeals court ruled earlier this month that a district court should consider allowing Apple to collect some commissions, but perhaps not the full 27% fee it had previously charged.)

In the new developer agreement, Apple states that it will “compensate or recover” what it believes is owed to it, including “any amounts collected by Apple on your behalf from end users.” This means Apple can recoup money from developers’ in-app purchases — such as those for digital goods, services, and subscriptions — or from one-time fees for paid apps.

Additionally, Apple notes that it has the right to collect these funds “at any time” and “from time to time,” meaning developers could face surprise deductions if Apple believes they miscalculated what they are owed.

The agreement does not specify how Apple will determine whether the money is owed to it.

The types of developer payments that vary over time are limited and include commissions, fees, and taxes. Among these is the EU’s Core Technology Fee (CTF), which currently costs €0.50 for every first annual installation exceeding 1 million in the past 12 months. In January 2026, Apple will move from the CTF to a new fee called the Core Technology Commission (CTC), which is a more complex percentage-based fee. Apple will collect CTC fees from apps that use third-party payment methods or are distributed under the EU Alternative Business Terms.

The updated developer agreement also gives Apple the right to collect unpaid amounts from any “affiliates, parents or subsidiaries” associated with the account that owes money. In practical terms, this means that Apple can raise money from other developers’ apps, or from apps published by the parent company.

These changes are detailed in Tables 2 and 3, Section 3.4, which focuses on the delivery of applications to end users.

These are not the only amendments to the agreement. Apple is also introducing dedicated sections for Lifetime Warranty technology, new terms for iOS apps in Japan, and other requirements.

Interestingly, Apple sets requirements for voice assistants (such as AI-powered chatbots) to be activated via the side button on the iPhone and prohibits recordings made without the user’s knowledge. This includes audio and video recordings, as well as screen recordings, which developers often use to identify problems users encounter when navigating applications or to locate errors.

To be clear, Apple doesn’t ban these recordings outright. The company simply adds language that says: “Your app may not be designed to facilitate recordings by others without their knowledge.” It remains to be seen how Apple will interpret this rule.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment before publication.