Apple may avoid penalties

According to Reuters, changes to Apple ’s App Store rules and fees are likely to receive the green light from the EU competition authority. The move would allow the iPhone maker to avoid potentially hefty daily fines. Last month, the company said developers would pay a 20 percent transaction fee for purchases made through the App Store, but those fees could be reduced to as low as 13 percent for Apple’s small business program. Developers who direct customers outside the App Store for payment would pay a fee of between 5 percent and 15 percent. They would also be able to use as many links as they want to direct users to external payment methods. Apple made the changes after the EU competition authority fined the company €500 million in April. The EU had said Apple’s technical and commercial restrictions prevented app developers from directing users to cheaper deals outside the App Store, in violation of the Digital Markets Act.