Apple announced it is lowering the commission fees on the Chinese App Store effective March 15. The fees for standard Apple In-App purchases will drop to 25% from the current 30% figure. Rates for the qualifying Apple In-App Purchase transactions under the App Store Small Business Program and Mini Apps Partner Program will also be lowered from 15% to 12%.
Cupertino confirmed that the move was done following “discussions with the Chinese regulator”, which we assume is the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), which had previously considered a full-scale antitrust investigation of the App Store. According to a report from China’s state-owned Economic Daily, the move could save up to 6 billion yuan ($873 million) in annual costs for local developers.