Additionally, the upgrade makes it simpler for developers to control foreign exchange rates.
Up until recently, the majority of adjustments to the App Store's price structure consisted of the addition of additional charges, such as subscription services or increased in-app purchases. This represents the largest modification to the App Store's price model and policies since it first opened, excluding those additions.
This transition was facilitated by or influenced by numerous forces. Following a class-action lawsuit filed by a group of independent developers, Apple agreed to relax pricing limits in 2021. Generally speaking, the business has come under close regulatory scrutiny from lawmakers and harsh public condemnation from developers. This modification may be an effort to avoid future crackdowns, similar to many other recent App Store rules changes.
The adjustments have also been made to assist Apple and the ecosystem's developers in navigating the current turbulent economic environment, which has seen higher-than-average inflation and currency rate swings. It's also possible that Apple is announcing these new costs in order to get ready for the potential sale of new kinds of experiences, tools, and content for its anticipated mixed reality headset, which is anticipated to debut in 2023.
Apple is giving developers more choices when it comes to app pricing. The business today revealed 700 new price points and tools, calling it the largest pricing change in the App Store's 14-year history. Devs may now automatically set regional costs in reaction to exchange rates.
With the new layout of the App Store, developers now have roughly ten times as many price points to select from for their apps. Pricing currently starts at $0.29 and can be requested to go as high as $10,000. (If you can recall the I Am Rich software from your youth, you can picture the developer drooling over this higher cap.) App prices can now increase gradually throughout a range of values. They can now raise prices by $0.10 up to $10, $0.50 between $10 and $50, and so forth.
Additionally, Apple is implementing various price policies across all 175 regional shops. Deves can now use rounded currency figures ($10.00 instead of $9.99) and numbers with two repeating digits (like 110000).
Additionally, the upgrade makes it simpler for developers to deal with foreign exchange rates. Apple gives the example of a Japanese video game producer who primarily serves Japanese consumers. They may now select a price for the Japan storefront and watch as the price across the board changes automatically in accordance with exchange and tax rates. Developers had to perform such task manually in the past.
Apple claims that the new pricing scheme is already in place for apps that provide automatically renewing subscriptions. Beginning in the spring of 2023, they will be available for all other apps and in-app purchases.
