IOS 26.5 Cuts Apple’s Brazil Commission to 21%, Adds 5% Infrastructure Fee

Published by Robert Granstone on June 18, 2026June 18, 2026

What You Need to Know

Brazil’s regulator forced Apple to allow alternative app marketplaces and third-party payment systems on iOS.
App Store commissions in Brazil drop to 21% for digital goods, while external app stores pay Apple 5% Core Technology Commission.
Apple implemented similar regulatory compliance changes in EU, Japan, and South Korea with different fee structures per jurisdiction.
Apple added notarization requirements, marketplace authorization, and age-based restrictions on external payments as safeguards.

Brazil’s competition regulator has forced Apple to open iOS to alternative app marketplaces and third-party payment systems, changes that arrive with iOS 26.5 and carry their own fee structure rather than a clean break from Apple’s economics.

The fee table is where the real story lives. App Store apps in Brazil drop from a maximum 30% commission to 21% on digital goods and services, though many developers already qualify for rates as low as 10% through programs like the Small Business Program. Apps distributed outside the App Store still owe Apple a 5% “Core Technology Commission,” which Apple frames as compensation for the infrastructure that makes iOS development possible. Developers linking users to external websites for payment face a 15% commission, reduceable to 10% in some cases.

Apple’s expansion here follows a pattern it has already run in the EU, Japan, and South Korea, and the company is likely facing similar pressure in the UK and Australia. Each jurisdiction gets its own terms, its own fee schedule, and its own authorized marketplace process, which means fragmentation is now a structural feature of how Apple manages regulatory compliance globally. Developers operating across these markets are managing meaningfully different rule sets depending on where their users are.

Safeguards and Restrictions

Apple’s statement that these changes introduce privacy and security risks is consistent with how it has characterized every forced opening. The company has built in a notarization process for apps, an authorization requirement for marketplaces, and restrictions on external links and alternative payments for users under 18.

Any developer currently enrolled in the Apple Developer Program will need to agree to an updated license agreement by July 6, 2026, covering the new Brazil-specific terms. Apple has published a dedicated page for developers with the full details. Given that antitrust scrutiny around App Store rules continues to expand across multiple jurisdictions, this agreement update is unlikely to be the last one developers are asked to sign.

Source: Apple Announces Major App Store Changes on iOS in Brazil (macrumors.com)