Apple has announced a price increase for iOS Store apps and in-app purchases in Nigeria, South Africa, Colombia, Egypt, Hungary, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
According to the phone manufacturer, the increase will go into effect on February 13 of this year.
While the company did not specify the percentage increase, it did announce a 15% to 12% price decrease in Uzbekistan due to the elimination of a local tax.
Apple also mentions that, while prices will remain unchanged in Luxembourg, Singapore, and Zimbabwe, developer earnings will be adjusted next month to reflect various tax changes in the respective countries.
Factors driving the increment
Citing factors such as tax and foreign exchange in the affected countries as reasons for the increment, Apple in a note to developers said:
The App Store’s commerce and payments system was built to empower you to conveniently set up and sell your products and services at a global scale with 44 currencies across 175 Storefronts.Â
Periodically, we update prices on the App Store in certain regions based on changes in taxes and foreign exchange rates. This is done using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers to help ensure prices for apps and in‑app purchases stay equalized across all stores.
Increase in proceeds
While users will pay more in some countries due to tax increases, Apple has stated that it will increase app revenue for developers in other countries.
Additionally, by the end of January proceeds will increase for local developers selling in Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Uzbekistan.
Apple will estimate and remove taxes based on the tax category information you have provided before calculating commission. Exhibit B of the Paid Applications Agreement will be updated to reflect this change.
Once these changes go into effect, the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps will be updated. As always, you can change the price of your apps and in-app purchases (including auto-renewable subscriptions) at any time in App Store Connect. If you offer subscriptions, you can choose to preserve prices for existing subscribers, the company stated.
