• Patreon has been forced to apply a subscription-only payment option for its App Store app.
• Purchases on the app will now also incur an additional 30 percent fee.
• These changes only apply to the Patreon app on the App Store and do not effect web or Android versions.

Influencer and creator support platform Patreon says it is trying to find ways so that regulations Apple is imposing on the platform do not cost its users, including an additional 30 percent fee for all new memberships bought on Patreon using Apple devices.

So far, the only thing Patreon has managed is a new option to let creators either pay the 30 percent fee themselves (out of their own earnings) or increase their prices for others that want to buy memberships to their accounts – either way, someone will have to pay extra.

“Obviously, neither of these solutions are ideal. But remember, Apple’s fees are only in the iOS app. Your prices on the web and the Android app will remain completely unaffected,” Patreon says in a blog post.

Apple has told Patreon that if it doesn’t adhere to the 30 percent fee and migrate its payment method to the one Apple prefers, a subscription-only method, it will be kicked off the App Store. The rules imposed on Patreon have mounted pressure on the company to change the way it treats its customers.

“Over the past few years, we’ve slowly [rolled out a subscription option], tackling each hurdle that has come up to ensure that the migration is not disruptive for creators. That’s the way we like to roll out products,” the company said.

“Unfortunately, because of Apple’s timelines and constraints, we can’t continue to do it this way. Instead of helping creators move to subscription billing if and when they feel like it’s right for them, we’re now forced to migrate all creators on Apple’s timeline.”

Patreon reminded creators that the regulations and billing restrictions only apply to users on iOS or if you’re using the Patreon app downloaded through the App Store. The restrictions do not apply to Web users or Android users via the Google Play Store.

The regulations have the potential to alienate a portion of Patreon users, and perhaps Patreon may have been willing to argue this situation in court, but it likely saw no way through as a much bigger company took on Apple in a similar situation and lost.

This of course is Fortnite creator Epic Games, which lost a lengthy legal battle against Apple after claiming that Apple’s App Store policies, such as forcing third-party companies to adhere to its own payment restrictions, was anti-competitive.

With Apple running roughshod of its own App Store, perhaps the future sees companies deciding against using the platform to sell their products in fear of hefty percentages trickling into Apple Park.

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