Category: Apple Developer News

Be ready for the new design. Whether you’re a longtime pro or a hobbyist, get inspired and make your apps and games look their best by exploring videos, downloads, and docs.

Plus, sign up for one-on-one appointments to dive into machine learning and AI, and meet the team behind the wholesome open-world game Hello Kitty Island Adventure.

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The App Store is designed to make it easy to sell your digital goods and services globally, with support for 44 currencies across 175 storefronts.

From time to time, we need to adjust prices or your proceeds due to changes in tax regulations or foreign exchange rates. These adjustments are made using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers to help make sure prices for apps and In-App Purchases stay consistent across all storefronts.

Tax and price updates

As of August 21:

Your proceeds from the sale of eligible apps and In‑App Purchases have been modified in:

• Brazil: Imposto sobre Operações Financeiras (IOF) of 3.5%
• Canada: Digital services tax (DST) no longer applicable
• Estonia: Value‑added tax (VAT) rate increase from 22% to 24%
• Romania:

    – VAT rate increase from 19% to 21%

    – Reduced VAT rate increase from 5% to 11% for news, magazines, books, and audiobooks

• The Philippines: VAT introduction of 12% for developers based outside of the Philippines
• Vietnam:

    – Organizations based outside of Vietnam: VAT rate increase from 5% to 10%.

    – Individual developers based outside of Vietnam: Personal income tax (PIT) introduction of 5%, replacing the corporate income tax (CIT). Reduced VAT rate of 0% for news, magazines, and books no longer applies and all content will be taxed at the standard rate.

    – Organizations based in Vietnam: Apple will no longer remit foreign contractor tax (FCT) on sales to end customers. FCT of 5% introduced on Apple’s commission.

    – Individual developers based in Vietnam: Personal income tax (PIT) introduction of 2%, replacing the corporate income tax (CIT). FCT of 5% introduced on Apple’s commission. Reduced VAT rate of 0% for news, magazines, and books no longer applies and all content will be taxed at the standard rate.

Exhibit B and C of the Paid Applications Agreement will be updated to indicate that Apple collects and remits applicable taxes in the Philippines, and the relevant tax changes in Vietnam.¹

Beginning September 8:

Pricing for apps and In-App Purchases will be updated for the Philippines and Vietnam if you haven’t selected one of these storefronts as the base storefront for your app or In‑App Purchase.² These updates also consider VAT introductions and changes listed in the tax updates section above.

If you’ve selected the Philippines or Vietnam as the base storefront for your app or In-App Purchase, prices won’t change. On other storefronts, prices will be updated to maintain equalization with your chosen base price.

Prices won’t change in any region if your In‑App Purchase is an auto‑renewable subscription. Prices also won’t change on the storefronts where you manually manage prices instead of using the automated equalized prices.

The Pricing and Availability section of Apps has been updated in App Store Connect to display these upcoming price changes. As always, you can change the prices of your apps, In‑App Purchases, and auto‑renewable subscriptions at any time.

Learn more about managing your prices

View or edit upcoming price changes

Edit your app’s base country or region

Pricing and availability start times by country or region

Set a price for an In-App Purchase

Learn more about your proceeds

View payments and proceeds

Download financial reports

¹ Translations of the updated agreement will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month.

² Excludes auto-renewable subscriptions.

The App Store is designed to be a safe and trusted place for all ages, including children. The age rating system for apps and games has been updated in order to provide people with more granular age ratings. We’ve also introduced new age rating questions to help identify sensitive content in your app and added the ability to set a higher rating to reflect your app’s minimum age requirement. Ratings for all apps and games on the App Store have been automatically updated to align with this new system and will be reflected on Apple devices running beta versions of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26.

The updated age rating system adds 13+, 16+, and 18+ to the existing 4+ and 9+ ratings. Age ratings are assigned to each country or region and may vary based on region-specific suitability standards.

We’ve introduced a new set of required questions to the ratings questionnaire for all apps. These new questions cover:

• In-app controls.
• Capabilities.
• Medical or wellness topics.
• Violent themes in your app or game.

Your answers to these questions will help Apple better calculate a rating and help you deliver an age-appropriate experience.

If your app has a policy requiring a higher minimum user age than the rating assigned by Apple, you can set a higher age rating after you respond to the age ratings questions. You can view the age rating for each of your apps under the updated system and respond to the new questions for each app in the App Information section in App Store Connect.

As a reminder, you must consider how all app features, including AI assistants and chatbot functionality, impact the frequency of sensitive content appearing within your app to make sure it receives the appropriate rating. All apps are subject to the App Review Guidelines, such as the safety guidelines regarding objectionable content or user generated content, and must abide by all applicable local laws and regulations, like the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”).

Please provide responses to the updated age rating questions for each of your apps by January 31, 2026, to avoid an interruption when submitting your app updates in App Store Connect.

Learn more about age ratings values and definitions

Learn how to set your app rating

Beginning April 2026, watchOS apps uploaded to App Store Connect must also include 64-bit support and be built with the watchOS 26 SDK. To enable 64-bit support in your project, we recommend using the default Xcode build setting of “Standard architectures” to build a single binary with 64-bit code.

You can test ARM64 compatibility for your apps in the Xcode Simulator, and on Apple Watch Series 9 or 10, or Apple Watch Ultra 2 running watchOS 26 beta.

Learn more about the SDKs included in Xcode

The European Commission has required Apple to make a series of additional changes under the Digital Markets Act:

Communication and promotion of offers

• Today, we’re introducing updated terms that let developers with apps in the European Union storefronts of the App Store communicate and promote offers for purchase of digital goods or services available at a destination of their choice. The destination can be a website, alternative app marketplace, or another app, and can be accessed outside the app or within the app via a web view or native experience.
• App Store apps that communicate and promote offers for digital goods or services will be subject to new business terms for those transactions — an initial acquisition fee, store services fee, and for apps on the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (EU) Addendum, the Core Technology Commission (CTC). The CTC reflects value Apple provides developers through ongoing investments in the tools, technologies, and services that enable them to build and share innovative apps with users.
• Music streaming apps on the App Store in the European Economic Area (EEA) wanting to use the Music Streaming Services Entitlement (EEA) can use these options.

Update to Business Terms for Apps in the European Union

• By January 1, 2026, Apple plans to move to a single business model in the EU for all developers. Under this single business model, Apple will transition from the Core Technology Fee (CTF) to the CTC on digital goods or services. The CTC will apply to digital goods or services sold by apps distributed from the App Store, Web Distribution, and/or alternative marketplaces.
• Apps currently under the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU continue to be subject only to the CTF until the transition to the CTC is fully implemented next year. At that time, qualifying transactions will be subject to the CTC, and the CTF will no longer apply. Additional details regarding this transition will be provided at a later date.

User Experience Update

• Beginning with iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, iOS and iPadOS will provide an updated user experience in the EU for installing alternative marketplaces or apps from a developer’s website. Additionally, later this year, we will provide an API which will allow developers to initiate the download of alternatively distributed apps they publish from within their app.

To learn more, view Communication and promotion of offers on the App Store in the EU. To read the full terms, view the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU or the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement Addendum for EU Apps. You can also request a 30-minute online appointment to ask questions and provide feedback about these changes.

It’s the final day of WWDC25. Revisit the week’s highlights, and dive into group labs on live streaming, immersive video, and spatial audio.

HELLO DEVELOPER Today @ WWDC25 Your daily guide to the conference. Today’s group labs Join Apple engineers and your developer peers online to ask questions, get advice, and follow the discussion about the week’s biggest announcements. Register now for today’s group labs Friday, June 13 (PT) 9 a.m. – HTTP Live Streaming group lab 12 p.m. – Immersive video and spatial audio technologies group lab Revisit the highlights It’s impossible to pick favorites, but here’s a collection of some of the biggest moments from an incredible set of video sessions. Browse the highlights from WWDC25 COMING THIS SUMMER Explore the biggest updates from WWDC25 We’re taking WWDC25 around the world. Join us in person this summer for a new Meet with Apple session geared toward your entire team. We’ll dive into the big announcements from WWDC25 and discuss the benefits for your apps and games. Find an activity near you How did we do? We’d love to know your thoughts on this year’s conference. Take the survey “6 out of 5 ⭐️” Once again, a little song dedicated to you. Watch the video TODAY’S PLAYLIST Every time we say goodbye One last playlist for the road. We’re sending you off with cutting-edge music from the global frontiers of jazz. Listen on Apple Music Thanks for being here WWDC25 is our biggest week of the year, and we have the best time sharing it with you. Thanks for being a part of another incredible conference. We’ll see you out there. To receive emails about upcoming developer activities, check your Apple Developer account settings. To get WWDC25 push notifications, visit the Account tab in the Apple Developer app. #WWDC25

Day 4 at WWDC25 focuses on machine learning and Apple Intelligence. Sign up for today’s group labs, and dive into videos about new tools and technologies.

HELLO DEVELOPER Today @ WWDC25 Your daily guide to the conference. Today’s group labs Join Apple engineers and your developer peers online to ask questions, get advice, and follow the discussion about the week’s biggest announcements. Register now for today’s group labs Thursday, June 12 (PT) 9 a.m. – SwiftUI 12 p.m. – Machine learning and AI frameworks 3 p.m. – Apple Intelligence technologies 6 p.m. – Accessibility technologies COMING THIS SUMMER Explore the biggest updates from WWDC25 We’re taking WWDC25 around the world. Join us in person this summer for a new Meet with Apple session geared toward your entire team. We’ll dive into the big announcements from WWDC25 and discuss the benefits for your apps and games. Find an activity near you Join the community Browse community activities taking place all throughout WWDC. And stop by the Apple Developer Forums to see what everyone is chatting about. Learn more about community TODAY’S PLAYLIST Coffee’s on us Today’s Coffee Shop mix is all about cozy sounds for quiet focus. Listen on Apple Music Tell us how we’re doing We’d love to know your thoughts on this year’s conference. Take the survey More to come We’ve got one more day. Stop by tomorrow to revisit the highlights — and find out how you can carry the excitement of WWDC25 throughout the summer. To receive WWDC25 emails during the conference, check your Apple Developer account settings. To get WWDC25 push notifications, visit the Account tab in the Apple Developer app. #WWDC25

Day 3 at WWDC25 is all about the new design across Apple platforms. Sign up for group labs and check out video sessions about how to bring the new design to your apps and games.

HELLO DEVELOPER Today @ WWDC25 Your daily guide to the conference. Today’s group labs Join Apple engineers and your developer peers online to ask questions, get advice, and follow the discussion about the week’s biggest announcements. Register now for today’s group labs Wednesday, June 11 (PT) 9 a.m. – UI frameworks 12 p.m. – Design 3 p.m. – visionOS 6 p.m. – watchOS Explore the new design Dive deep into our broadest design update ever. In today’s group labs, one-on-one labs, and video sessions, you’ll find out how the stunning new Apple design language elevates the content users care about most while creating a universal language across platforms. And you can begin your explorations with Liquid Glass, the new material that combines the optical qualities of glass with responsive fluidity. Register for the design group lab (12 p.m. PT) You can also request one-on-one lab appointments with Apple experts for guidance on design. Request a one-on-one lab Looking for what’s new? Get your apps and games ready for the new design. Press play Learn all about the new design language in video sessions. Learn more about WWDC25 Join the community Browse community activities taking place all throughout WWDC. And stop by the Apple Developer Forums to see what everyone is chatting about. Learn more about community Congratulations to this year’s Apple Design Award winners One more round of applause for this year’s Apple Design Award winners, who got their well-deserved moment in the sun on Monday afternoon at Apple Park. View the complete list of winners and finalists, and visit the App Store to try them all out. View this year’s winners and finalists View the collection on the App Store TODAY’S PLAYLIST Everybody loves the sunshine Put a little sunshine in your day with a hand-curated playlist of summer favorites. Listen on Apple Music Tell us how we’re doing We’d love to know your thoughts on this year’s conference. Take the survey More to come We have good intelligence that says tomorrow has a lot to offer. We’ll catch you then. To receive WWDC25 emails during the conference, check your Apple Developer account settings. To get WWDC25 push notifications, visit the Account tab in the Apple Developer app. #WWDC25

Welcome to Day 2 at WWDC25! Watch the Platforms State of the Union recap, sign up for group labs, and explore video sessions.

HELLO DEVELOPER Today @ WWDC25 Your daily guide to the conference. Today’s group labs Join Apple engineers and your developer peers online to ask questions, get advice, and follow the discussion about the week’s biggest announcements. Register now for today’s group labs Tuesday, June 10 (PT) 9 a.m. – Developer Tools 12 p.m. – Swift 3 p.m. – Metal and game technologies 6 p.m. – Camera and Photos frameworks Watch the Platforms State of the Union recap Catch all the highlights. Fast. Watch now Join the community Browse community activities taking place all throughout WWDC. And stop by the Apple Developer Forums to see what everyone is chatting about. Learn more about community TODAY’S PLAYLIST Power up Pure energy from the most electrifying artists of the summer. Listen on Apple Music Tell us how we’re doing We’d love to know your thoughts on this year’s conference. Take the survey More to come We’re just getting started — and we have designs on a big day tomorrow. Check back then. To receive WWDC25 emails during the conference, check your Apple Developer account settings. To get WWDC25 push notifications, visit the Account tab in the Apple Developer app. #WWDC25

WWDC is here! Watch a quick video to help you get started, then dive into sessions and get ready for tomorrow’s group labs.

HELLO DEVELOPER Today @ WWDC25 Your daily guide to the conference. New design. New features. New everything. There’s so much to dive into this year. Here’s a quick video to help get you started. Welcome to WWDC25 Start your session streaming Watch videos on design, Apple Intelligence, Swift, Xcode, Metal, and so much more. Explore WWDC25 sessions NEW THIS YEAR Group labs begin tomorrow All week long, you can join us online to dive into the new announcements with Apple engineers and designers and your developer peers — and you can register right now. Register now for tomorrow’s group labs Tuesday, June 10 (PT) 9 a.m. – Developer Tools 12 p.m. – Swift 3 p.m. – Metal and game technologies 6 p.m. – Camera and Photos frameworks One-on-one lab requests are now open Request online appointments with Apple experts on the topics that interest you most. Learn more and make your request Explore more TODAY’S PLAYLIST Spin the music of Keynote Today’s playlist features the sounds of WWDC25 — a little gift from our home to yours. Listen on Apple Music More to come Today is just the beginning. Watch your inbox tomorrow for the swift arrival of the Tuesday edition of Today @ WWDC25. #WWDC25 To receive WWDC25 emails during the conference, check your Apple Developer account settings. To get WWDC25 push notifications, visit the Account tab in the Apple Developer app.