Payments processing software provider Stripe is ready to help iOS app developers bypass Apple’s cut of App Store transactions.
Following yesterday’s ruling in the Apple-Epic antitrust trial, where Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers outright criticized Apple for not allowing external payment links in apps as she had previously ruled, Stripe shared documentation that demonstrates how iOS developers can avoid the Apple commission.
In a post on X, Stripe product manager Michael Luo said the team “cooked up a quick guide” to show iOS developers how to accept payments using Stripe outside of their apps, capitalizing on the new opportunity made possible by the court’s decision.
Apple had allowed developers to link to external websites to make purchases but only reduced its 30% commission by 3% and added “scare screens” warning users about the potential dangers of paying developers outside its App Store. Judge Rogers stated that Apple’s policy didn’t align with her prior injunction, both in spirit and the letter of the law, and ordered the company to change its policies immediately.
Stripe’s new documentation explains how developers can set up a link inside their app to accept payments for digital goods on iOS using Stripe Checkout. This option redirects an app’s customers to a secure, Stripe-hosted payment page as part of the new checkout experience.
While using Stripe isn’t as simple as taking advantage of Apple’s in-app purchases, as it requires developers to set up and maintain their own payments page and checkout experience, it offers a much more affordable alternative to Apple’s 30% commission (or even the 15% commission for apps in Apple’s Small Biz program or subscription apps starting in year two). Stripe’s standard payment processing fees are 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
Stripe’s announcement has gained significant attention, with thousands of likes on X from eager developers.
David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on Rails and co-owner of 37Signals (makers of Basecamp and HEY), praised Stripe’s solution. Hansson, a long-time critic of Apple, has been vocal about Apple rejecting apps like HEY for attempting to bypass Apple’s in-app purchase mechanisms.
On X, Hansson remarked that the change in Apple’s policies, allowing external payments, will create more opportunities for businesses on the App Store. “Apple’s loss in court is immediately opening up a whole new world for app developers,” he said. “Entire business models were impossible under the old 30% regime
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