Apple insists: Patreon creators switched to subscriptions
By November, all creators will be switched from the crowdfunding platform to subscriptions so that Apple can also profit. iOS users pay more.
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch / heise medien)
Patreon will in future only allow subscriptions on its crowdfunding platform – at Apple's behest: By November 1, 2026, all creators (newly termed "creators") remaining on other billing models will be forcibly switched to subscription billing, as Patreon announces. The subscriptions will then be available in the iOS app as in-app subscriptions as required by Apple; for all purchases made through this payment interface, the iPhone company automatically retains up to 30 percent commission.
Threat of App Store Removal
Apple has "reintroduced a subscription billing requirement for Patreon creators that had been temporarily suspended," the platform explained in a statement, emphasizing that it was "absolutely not in agreement" but felt compelled to implement it. Apple is serious about this and already blocked an app update last year and threatened removal from the App Store if it wasn't implemented, Patreon writes. The iOS app is central because it is used by millions of fans. The move affects about four percent of content creators; the rest already rely on subscriptions.
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Back in 2024, Patreon was urged by Apple to integrate the in-app purchase interface into the iOS app. Content creators use Patreon as a platform to finance various projects and content. Apple's requirement to integrate the in-app purchase interface has led to significantly higher prices for iPhone users on Patreon in most cases. The app directly passes on the commission charged by Apple: for a subscription that costs 10 euros per month on the web, you typically pay 14.50 euros in the iOS app – this includes both Patreon's and Apple's commission.
US users of Patreon's iOS app have the option to complete their subscriptions without Apple commission thanks to a court injunction; however, they must not choose the in-app option during the payment process but must be redirected to the Patreon webpage. Apple has since had to allow such purchases without Apple's involvement in the EU as well. This has been hardly used so far, because even for purchases made on the web from an iOS app, Apple still charges a hefty commission – with increasingly complex fee structures. This was supposed to be reorganized in the EU at the beginning of the year, but apparently Apple has clashed with the EU Commission again during the implementation.
(lbe)
