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Creator platform\u00a0Patreon<\/a> has to modify its app to comply with Apple\u2019s guidelines after a recent update<\/a> allowed U.S. users to make purchases via the web. <\/p>\n The company says that its own web-based checkout option is now the default for U.S. fans, but it has to update its app so that this checkout option opens in an external browser instead, per Apple\u2019s instruction. <\/p>\n This creates more steps for fans who want to pay using Patreon directly, but it still allows the company to forgo having to pay Apple a 30% commission on in-app purchases. <\/p>\n Patreon first updated its app <\/a>shortly after a court ruling in the\u00a0Apple-Epic<\/a> legal battle that forced Apple to support external payments<\/a> in apps published on its U.S. App Store without charging commissions. Last week, the Patreon iOS app (version 125.5.0) added<\/a> an option that let users pay via the web using a variety of payment methods, including credit cards, Venmo, PayPal, and even Apple Pay.<\/p>\n These options appeared within an in-app browser, providing a more seamless checkout experience for Patreon users. Now, Patreon\u2019s checkout flow opens in an external browser instead \u2014 a change Patreon made based on Apple\u2019s feedback. <\/p>\n In addition, the company says creators on older billing models will also be able to accept payments through Patreon\u2019s iOS app. <\/p>\n Previously, Apple didn\u2019t support billing models outside of subscription billing, and it required the exclusive use of its own in-app purchases system. That limited the options for creators on legacy billing models, like first-of-the-month and per-creation billing, Patreon says. <\/p>\n With the update, creators will be able to use those billing options on iOS, which could make a significant impact on their bottom line. <\/p>\n Within the week, Patreon says that U.S. fans will be able to purchase memberships from these creators at the price they\u2019ve set for their tiers in the iOS app. (However, creators will still need to offer subscription billing to sell new memberships outside the U.S.)<\/p>\n Currently, approximately 95% of active creators are already using subscription billing, the company notes, as it allows them to use other tools like free trials, discounts, gifting, tier repricing, autopilot, and more. But now it can address the needs of the remaining 5%.<\/p>\n Because of this new flexibility, Patreon\u2019s deadline to switch creators to subscription billing is no longer in effect, it says. Last August, Patreon said Apple\u00a0had given it a deadline to switch all creators to Apple\u2019s iOS in-app purchase system<\/a>\u00a0by November 2025 or risk removal from the App Store. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve stayed in close conversation with Apple and have continued advocating for a more flexible approach \u2014 one that gives creators more time and choice,\u201d Patreon shared in a blog post<\/a>. \u201cAs a result of the recent ruling and changes on Apple\u2019s end, the November 2025 deadline is no longer in effect, and as of today, no new deadline has been set. This means that, as of now, we can give creators more time and flexibility in when and how they switch while we simultaneously work to resolve issues that have blocked them from switching in the first place,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n