Xbox president says Apple’s third-party app store fees are ‘a step in the wrong direction’

Xbox president Sarah Bond has criticised Apple’s decision to charge a fee for iOS apps released outside of the App Store.

A new EU law called the Digital Markets Act goes into effect in March, and states that Apple now has to allow developers to create and offer new apps (including new stores) without using the App Store.

In response, Apple has changed its terms further to ensure it still earns money on non-App Store apps.

This includes a controversial demand that if an app is downloaded more than a million times a year, the developer must pay Apple €0.50 for every download over a million, meaning developers will owe Apple €500,000 / $542,000 for every million downloads after the first million.

The decision was criticised on X by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, who stated: “Under the false pretense of compliance and concessions, [Apple has] put forward a new plan that is a complete and total farce.”

Ek stated his belief that Apple’s terms were created to make developers stay within the App Store infrastructure, alleging that its new €0.50 fee is “extortion, plain and simple”.

Ek’s tweet was then quoted by Xbox president Bond, who gave her backing to the Spofity boss’s statement.

“We believe constructive conversations drive change and progress towards open platforms and greater competition,” she wrote on X.

“Apple’s new policy is a step in the wrong direction. We hope they listen to feedback on their proposed plan and work towards a more inclusive future for all.”

Last week Epic Games said it would be bringing Fortnite back to iOS devices in Europe later this year, but that it would ” continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law” with regards to the €0.50 per download fee, which for an app as popular as Fortnite could result in Epic owing Apple a small fortune.

Apple also announced last week that is was changing its stance on game streaming apps, opening the door to a potential native Xbox Game Pass app on iOS devices.