App Store Rules & Program Updates — 2026 Tracker
Commissions & programs (stable, verify before relying)
Small Business Program: 15% commission for developers under $1M/year in App Store revenue — still the single most valuable enrollment for indies, and it must be actively requested in App Store Connect. Standard rate remains 30%, dropping to 15% for subscriptions after a subscriber's first year.
External purchase entitlements: following regulatory pressure (notably the EU's DMA and US court rulings), linking to external payment is permitted in specific regions under specific entitlements — but conditions, disclosures and fees differ by region and change frequently. Treat every 'Apple now allows external payments' headline as region-specific until you've read the entitlement terms.
Privacy & review enforcement
Privacy manifests and Required Reason API declarations are enforced: builds using flagged APIs without declared reasons are blocked at submission. Privacy Nutrition Labels are increasingly cross-checked against observed behavior.
AI features draw specific scrutiny: apps sending user content to AI providers are expected to show in-app consent (see our 5.1.1 guide), and AI-generated content apps face extra 4.3 saturation review in crowded formats.
How we maintain this page
This tracker is updated monthly as part of our editorial cycle, summarizing changes that practically affect indie submission, monetization and review outcomes. It's a plain-English digest, not legal advice — always confirm against Apple's official App Review Guidelines and developer news before making release decisions.