Apple announced plans in August to pay $100 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit filed by US developers, and the website that will allow developers to lodge a claim for compensation has gone online as of today.
The $100 million funded by Apple is being distributed as part of a “Small Developer Assistance Fund,” and developers can claim between $250 and $30,000 based on their App Store participation history. Claims can now be submitted through the Small Developer Assistance website, which now includes payout estimation tools.
For apps, eligible US developers must meet the following requirements:
- Was sold for a non-zero price;
- Was sold via Apple’s iOS App Store between 2015 and 2021; and
- Earned, together with any other iOS applications or in-app products (including subscriptions) sold through all of your associated developer accounts, proceeds equal to or less than $1,000,000.00 through the App Store U.S. storefront in every calendar year from 2015 to 2021 in which you had a developer account.
According to the agreement, around 67,000 developers are qualified. Developers who earned less than $100 will be eligible for a $250 minimum payout, while those who earned more than $1,000,000 will be eligible for a $30,000 reimbursement. The minimum payout is subject to change depending on the overall number of claims.
The case was filed in 2019 when a group of iOS developers accused Apple of imposing “profit-killing” commissions through its App Store monopoly. The complaint took issue with Apple’s 30% share of App Store sales, which was mainly rectified with the late 2020 introduction of the App Store Small Business Program, which reduced the commission that small developers had to pay to 15%. Apps must meet the following criteria:
Apple agreed to certain additional concessions in addition to the $100 million payment to developers. The most significant concession will be Apple permitting developers to disclose information about payment options available outside of iOS apps via communications such as email. Developers will not be required to pay Apple a commission on purchases made outside of the App Store.
Apple is also boosting the amount of subscription price points available to developers, and the company has pledged to keep the App Store Small Business Program and App Store search in place for at least three years.
Apple also stated that it will continue to provide developers with the ability to appeal app rejections, and that it will produce an annual transparency report based on App Store data that will cover app rejections, apps removed from the App Store, search information, and other topics.
To get reimbursement from Apple, developers must submit claims by May 20, 2022, and there will be a final approval hearing on June 7, 2022. The actual payout date will depend on whether or not there are objections, how long it takes to resolve such objections, and whether or not the arrangement achieves final court approval.