Apple to Waive In-App Purchase Requirement for Online Group and Event Apps Until June

The exemptions to the in-app purchase policy for online group and event apps won't end yet.

The deadline for these apps to continue using alternative payment methods has been pushed back to June 30 in order to circumvent Apple's standard 30% cut of in-app purchases.

In 2020, Apple decided to support apps and developers that needed to adapt services from in-person to digital as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The most recent deadline has been extended to June 30, 2022.

Federal regulators and developers are scrutinizing the operation of Apple's digital marketplace. The company came under fire for charging event platforms standard commission fees during a Pandemic, a move critics condemned as profiting off the need for struggling businesses to switch from in-person events to virtual offerings.

When Apple updated its guidelines in September 2020, it removed the commission requirement for apps that offer person-to-person services between two people. Until the company expanded the exemption to group event apps a few months later, virtual classes and online gatherings were still required to process in-app purchases through Apple.

This is not the first time that Apple has granted a reprieve for its App Store commission requirement. After it was first set to end in December 2020, Apple gave two six-month extensions and then another extension in June of 2022. It is good news for businesses that have in-person events that have been pushed online, but it is also a reminder of how long this epidemic has been.