Apple set to raise App Store prices as value of euro drops

20 Sep 2022

Image: © Aleksei/Stock.adobe.com

App Store changes may come as early as 5 October for all countries using the euro, as well as others such as Japan and South Korea.

Apple is set to increase the price of apps and in-app purchases in multiple countries next month, including all nations that use the euro.

In an update on its developer website yesterday (19 September), Apple said that upcoming price changes will affect Chile, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, Vietnam, as well as all countries that use the euro.

The new rates could come into effect as early as 5 October.

While Apple did not state a reason behind the move, it noted that the changes in Vietnam in particular “reflect new regulations for Apple to collect and remit applicable taxes”.

It is likely that the changes are due to currencies performing weakly against the US dollar. It comes amid a fall in the value of the euro relative to the dollar, with the two currencies reaching parity for the first time in two decades in July.

Apple recently hiked the price of the new iPhone 14 series in a number of markets, including European countries, even though it kept the price the same as the iPhone 13 in the US.

TechCrunch reported last week that the average price of in-app purchases on the App Store has jumped 40pc year on year in 2022. This trend may be tied to Apple’s privacy changes rolled out last year – which may have cost other tech giants billions in revenue.

Apple said that once the latest App Store price changes go into effect, the pricing and availability section of My Apps will be updated.

“You can change the price of your apps and in-app purchases (including auto-renewable subscriptions) at any time in App Store Connect. If you offer subscriptions, you can choose to preserve prices for existing subscribers,” Apple wrote on its developer website.

Apple has different tiers for pricing on its App Store. In eurozone countries, the lowest tier pricing will now rise from €0.99 to €1.19, while the highest tier will jump to €1,199.99.

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Vish Gain is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com