December 17, 2025
press release
Apple announces changes to iOS in Japan
The changes include new options for developers to distribute apps and process payments, and new protections to help reduce privacy and security risks created by MSCA.
Cupertino, California Apple today announced changes affecting iOS apps in Japan to comply with the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA). These updates create new options for developers to distribute apps on alternative app marketplaces and process app payments for digital goods and services outside of Apple’s in-app purchase. With these changes, Apple has worked to mitigate new privacy and security risks created by the law to provide users in Japan with the best and most secure experience possible.
MSCA’s requirements for alternative app marketplaces and app payments open new avenues for malware, fraud, fraud, and privacy and security risks. Apple has worked with Japanese regulators to provide protection against new threats, including important safeguards for younger users. These protections include authentication for iOS apps, a licensing process for app marketplaces, and requirements that help protect children from inappropriate content and fraud.
Although these safeguards do not eliminate new risks, they are essential to Apple’s work to ensure iOS remains the best and most secure mobile platform in Japan. Apple will continue to work with regulators to enhance protections for iOS users.
Developers can learn about new capabilities on Apple developer support page They can integrate it into their apps starting today as part of iOS 26.2.
New options for developers to distribute apps on iOS in Japan
The App Store – where every app is reviewed to meet the App Store’s high standards for privacy and security – remains the best place for iOS users in Japan to discover and download the apps they love. This includes App Store features that protect users from scams and scams and enable parents to ensure their children have age-appropriate experiences.
With the new MSCA requirements, developers will also have the option to distribute iOS apps in Japan using alternative app marketplaces other than the App Store. Alternative app marketplaces must be licensed by Apple and will need to meet ongoing requirements to serve developers and users. However, apps downloaded outside of the App Store will not benefit from the same protections provided by Apple through App Review, presenting new risks for apps that contain fraud, fraud, and abuse, or that expose users to illegal, objectionable, or harmful content that is not permitted in the App Store.
To mitigate some of these new risks, Apple will conduct a fundamental review — called authentication — that applies to all iOS apps and focuses on core functionality and protecting users from serious threats. This documentation process includes a combination of automated checks and human review, and helps ensure applications work as promised and are free of malware, viruses, or other known security threats. However, the documentation is less comprehensive than the app review process that applies to all apps on the App Store.
Developers can learn more about running or distributing from alternative app markets on the new version Apple developer support page.
New payments options in App Store apps on iOS
In the App Store, users in Japan can continue to use Apple In-App Buy to purchase digital goods and services, manage subscriptions, request refunds, and view their payment history.
To comply with MSCA, Apple is sharing tools that enable developers to offer more ways for users to purchase digital goods and services in apps on the App Store. For iOS apps distributed on the App Store in Japan, developers will be able to include an alternative payment processing method in their apps and/or connect users to a website to complete the transaction.
These alternative payment options will always be offered alongside Apple’s in-app purchasing service, so that users in Japan will be aware of when they are transacting through Apple. When users choose to pay with Apple’s In-App Purchase service, they’ll continue to receive familiar protections and tools like refund support, managing subscriptions, and reporting an issue. App Store users’ purchase history and subscription management will only reflect transactions made using Apple’s in-app purchase.
For apps that use alternative payment processing or connect users to the web to make transactions, Apple will not be able to issue refunds and will be less able to support customers experiencing issues, scams, or fraud. Users may need to share their payment information with additional parties, which may create new privacy and security risks.
Updated business terms for iOS apps in Japan
To flesh out these options for app distribution and payment processing, Apple is also sharing its updated terms of business for iOS apps for developers in Japan. These business terms reflect the many ways Apple creates value for developers’ apps, whether or not they use the App Store and/or in-app purchases from Apple.
Under the terms of business for iOS apps in Japan, Apple will continue to charge a commission only on the sale of digital goods and services. The new terms include:
- App store commission: iOS apps on the App Store will pay a reduced commission of either 10 percent to the vast majority of developers — including members of the Small Business Program, the Video Partner Program, and the Small App Partner Program, and for subscriptions after their first year — or 21 percent on transactions for digital goods and services. The App Store commission reflects the value of the tools, technology, and services that enable developers to build apps, as well as App Store distribution, discovery, and ongoing services.
- Apple payment processing fees: In their iOS apps on the App Store, developers can process payments using Apple In-App Buy for an additional 5 percent fee.
- Store services commission: iOS apps on the App Store will pay a 15 percent commission on transactions for digital goods and services made on a website linked to the developer’s app. Developers of the above programs, and subscriptions after their first year, will pay a discounted rate of 10 percent.
- Core Technology Committee: iOS apps distributed outside the App Store will pay a 5 percent commission on the sale of digital goods and services, including paid apps. The Core Technology Commission compensates Apple for the tools, technologies, and services that enable developers to build and share their apps with iOS users.
Under these new business terms, developers who sell digital goods and services in Japan will pay Apple the same amount or less than they pay today. Developers who do not sell digital goods and services will continue to pay no commissions or fees to Apple.
Impacts on children’s online safety
Apple created the App Store to be a safe place for kids, where parents are empowered to ensure their kids have age-appropriate experiences and the tools they need to keep their kids safe online. That’s why Apple has created industry-leading features like age ratings, content and privacy restrictions, content filters, ask to buy, and powerful controls that help parents choose how kids use their devices.
With the changes introduced under the MSCA, new options for alternative distribution and payment methods may expose children to new risks. For example, apps downloaded from outside the App Store may contain illegal and objectionable content, and will not be subject to the same rigorous review process that Apple uses to evaluate apps made for children on the App Store. For example, similar regulatory changes in Europe have enabled types of apps that were not previously available on iOS, including pornographic apps.
In an effort to reduce new risks of fraud or scams targeting children, Apple has worked with regulators in Japan to maintain certain guardrails, including:
- Applications in children’s category On the App Store, it will not include links to websites to complete transactions, in order to reduce the risk of fraud or scams targeting children.
- to Users under 18 years oldAll apps from the App Store that use alternative payment processing or link to a transactional website must include a parental portal that requires younger users to involve their parent or guardian before making a purchase.
- to Users under 13 years old, Apps from the App Store cannot link to transactional websites to protect against the risk of fraud targeting younger children.
- Apple is also working to provide developers who use alternative payments with a new API so they can enable parents to monitor and approve purchases made outside of Apple’s in-app purchase system.
Developers should also continue to provide age ratings for their apps, whether their apps are distributed on the App Store or an alternative app marketplace.
Apple will continue to innovate to address evolving risks to children’s online safety by building on the powerful tools and features it offers today — like Kids Accounts, web content filters, App Restrictions, and monitoring tools like Screen Time and Family Sharing, Contact Safety, and Contact Limits, which help parents identify who their kids are communicating with and protect them from inappropriate content.
Additional iOS updates
Along with distributing new apps and payment options, Apple has introduced additional controls and options for users in Japan with the release of iOS 26.2. These include:
- A Browser selection screen and Experience choosing a search enginegiving users in Japan new ways to choose their preferred browser and search engine.
- Default controls For navigation applications and application markets.
Through these controls, users can review and modify their choices at any time in Settings.
For developers, Apple is sharing tools as well as new options for alternative distribution and app payments, including:
- New options that browser app developers can use Alternative browser engines Unlike WebKit, with strict security and privacy requirements.
- New API enables developers Voice-based chat applications To provide users with the option to launch their app using the iPhone’s side button.
- Process for requesting interoperability with core technologies in iPhone and iOS.
Apple provides detailed resources to help developers understand the options now available for their apps in Japan, which they can access through… Apple developer support page.
About Apple
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS and tvOS — deliver seamless experiences across all Apple devices and enable people to take advantage of amazing services, including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud and Apple TV. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on Earth and leaving the world better than we found it.
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