Apple has revealed plans to raise the price of App Store apps, in-app purchases and app subscriptions across iOS, iPadOS and macOS in Europe and a number of other countries. The shift in pricing is said to help balance the price of apps worldwide amidst currency fluctuations, with Apple framing it as a great move for developers.
There’s a developer-focused news post on Apple’s website which says pricing will increase in European countries that uses the Euro as well as a swathe of other regions including Chile, Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Sweden and Vietnam.
As a result, the cost of apps in Europe are expected to jump by around 20%. This means that €0.99 apps will rise to about €1.19. You might be able cope with that, but the hike is much more noticeable on the wallet for more expensive purchases. A €19.99 app are expected to become €23.99, or thereabouts.
Though the exact timing is yet to be confirmed, Apple claims that the move is set to happen “as early as October 5, 2022”. That gives those in affected regions a few more days to purchase any premium apps they’ve had their eye on before the new pricing and tax rules come into effect.
It’s not the first time Apple has tweaked prices like this; the company also raised the price of apps and games in the UK by a whopping 25% in January 2017 due to the value of the British Pound dropping following Brexit.
It also happens with hardware, with the most recent example being the iPhone 14. In the US, the smartphone starts at the same $799 as its predecessor. But in other regions, the price has risen sharply. In the UK, the iPhone 14 starts at £849, an increase of £70 compared to the iPhone 13, while the iPhone 14 Pro is a whopping £150 more expensive this time around.
The only saving grace is that Apple does tend to reduce pricing to reflect a stronger currency, so if the value of the Euro begins to improve, these price changes should be reverted. As for when that happens, that’s anybody’s guess…
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Author: Lewis Painter, Senior Staff Writer
Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You'll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.