Apple is Screwing Up Patreon (FYI)

 by Scott Creighton

I don't know what this means. 

Apple is flexing their muscle demanding users of their system make some kind of switch to their subscription service to use Patreon. All I can glean from it is Apple is demanding 30% off the top and Patreon has given in switching everyone to the Apple system... somehow?

Below the fold is the email I just got from Patreon. I don't know how it will effect me or you supporters using your Iphone or other Apple stuff but here it is. For what it's worth I hate Apple and Windows equally.

 

Hey,

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Apple is requiring that Patreon use their in-app purchasing system and remove all other billing systems from the Patreon iOS app by November 2024. This means that starting in November, new memberships purchased in the iOS app will be subject to Apple's 30% App Store fee.

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You're currently on a first-of-the-month billing model, but Apple's in-app purchase system only supports subscription billing. Apple has made clear that if creators on Patreon continue to use unsupported billing models or disable transactions in the iOS app, we will be at risk of having the entire app removed from their App Store.  

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So, starting in November, your fans in the iOS app won't be able to purchase subscriptions to your membership until you switch to subscription billing. And, as a result of Apple's mandates and in order to make sure that you can continue getting new members in the iOS app, we've started a 16-month-long migration process to bring all creators onto subscription billing by November 2025. This means that your current billing model will be discontinued in November 2025.  

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We want to give you all of the tools and information you need to navigate this change in the least disruptive way possible. 

• To help you keep growing across all platforms, we're going to automatically switch you over to subscription billing in November 2024.
• Once you're on subscription billing, you can control how Apple's fee is applied. You can either maintain your earnings by setting a higher price for new memberships purchased in the iOS app (default) or absorb the App Store fee yourself. Remember: the Apple fee only applies to new memberships purchased in the iOS app.
• You can delay the migration to subscription billing by choosing to in your settings. The deadline to delay the migration to subscription billing is November 1, 2024. 
• If you delay, you'll be able to stay on your current billing model until November 2025, but Apple's mandate still applies. Come November 2024, your fans won't be able to purchase memberships in the iOS app until you switch to subscription billing. 

We want to do absolutely everything we can to make sure that these changes are as smooth as possible for you, your fans, and your business. We didn't choose this path, but we're focusing our resources on making subscription billing an even better experience for creators and fans. This will take time and we're committed to making it happen for every creator. In the coming months, expect to hear more from us as we bring together communities of creators on first-of-the-month billing to talk about migration tips, keep you up-to-date with reminders and notifications, and share more resources to support you through the billing model change. We'll be in touch soon.