Overview
- Apple’s iOS 26.2 in Japan enables alternative app marketplaces and allows in‑app alternative payments or links to web purchases, with Apple’s own in‑app purchase option still shown alongside.
- Apple’s new Japan fee model includes a 21% App Store commission on digital transactions (10% for eligible programs and year‑two subscriptions), a 5% fee when using Apple’s payment processing, a 15% charge on web‑linked purchases, and a 5% Core Technology commission for apps sold outside the App Store.
- Apple will require baseline Notarization security checks for all apps distributed via alternative marketplaces, authorize those marketplaces, display warnings, and impose child‑safety limits such as parental gates and no external purchase links in Kids apps.
- Google is expanding User Choice Billing to all Japanese apps offering digital content and launching a program that lets users choose side‑by‑side between Google Play Billing and a developer’s website, with choice screens for search and browsers rolling out on Android and Chrome.
- Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney condemned Apple’s commissions and warning screens as anticompetitive and said Fortnite will not return to iOS in Japan under the current terms, with a complaint to the JFTC planned.