Photo Credit: William Hook
As Apple continues to face regulatory pressure to open its App Store ecosystem, a new trend is emerging—users want discounts to abandon the App Store.
For years, Apple has required that digital purchases within iOS apps go through its App Store, allowing the company to collect a commission. This amount ranges from 15—30% depending on the developer, but recent legal and regulatory changes in the European Union and United States could see that change.
Developers linking to external websites where different payment options are available have become commonplace. Spotify previously charged a premium for users to subscribe on the App Store, whereas now it can direct users to payment options outside of the iOS ecosystem. A recent report from Morgan Stanley highlights that consumers expect to cash in on savings for going outside of the App Store—since developers will no longer have to pay the ‘Apple Tax’ on those purchases.
Photo Credit: AlphaWise
This survey conducted by AlphaWise for Morgan Stanley highlights just how much consumers expect to save. When asking U.S. iPhone users if they would purchase an app directly from a developer’s website, 28% of users said they were extremely likely to do so. 20% of users said they were likely to do so, while 19% said they were extremely unlikely to go outside of the App Store ecosystem.
The vast majority of iPhone users appear more willing to stick with the iOS payments ecosystem rather than go outside of it. But those who do are more likely to expect a discount from developers for being willing to purchase elsewhere.
How much? The survey results suggest users expect a 29% discount for an outside purchase to be justifiable—nearly the entire percent of the upper end of the ‘Apple Tax.’ So while developers may celebrate the win of abandoning Apple’s ecosystem—not many iOS users appear willing to go outside of it. That number has risen in 2025, too. Nearly 19% say they would be unlikely to go outside of the App Store, compared to 11% and 10% in previous years.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.