Important Good News for IOS Users!

I put warnings out before and just after the IOS fees were implemented and have been sending out DMs to people who were paying via the IOS app, because for those that don't know for the last few months if you joined my Patreon via the IOS app you were being charged 30% more than everyone else. And that extra 30% went to Apple, not to Patreon and not to me. It made me angry to see people being charged more for their subscriptions for me just because they signed up via their iPhone or iPad, and I tried to keep messaging anyone who I saw signing up and paying more to let them know.

However, there was a court case led by Epic Games to fight Apple on their new practise of adding extra fees onto any in-app subscriptions purchased via their IOS apps, which happens to include things like individual Patreon subscriptions. I'm happy to say the courts have ruled that Apple cannot enforce this and must provide alternative payment options so people don't have to pay that extra 30% fee.

What this means for us? If you update your Patreon IOS app you should see the new payment options that no longer have the 30% fee. If you're already a Patreon member and are already paying the extra 30% fee (e.g. my top tier is £10/$13 not the £14.50/$19 some of you are paying) you may ned to cancel your subscription and re-join to be offered the new regular lower price. Patreon's post about this doesn't say that people need to cancel and re-join to get the new price but I would double-check what you're being charged to be sure.

What this means for other creators? For those that wanted to keep using the old legacy billing option of charging on the 1st of every month, or creators who upload less-frequently who prefer to use the pay-per-creation model those should hopefully be back soon.

Now, Apple is trying to appeal the court's decision because, in my opinion, they just want more money even though they're already a multi-billion dollar company. Hopefully that appeal won't work because if it does then IOS prices go back up, but I will try to keep you guys updated as Patreon keeps me updated.

In the meantime if you are worried about still being charged Apple's 30% fee (which you shouldn't be if you sign up now or cancel and re-sign up), or are worried about it returning, you can always sign up via the website (which you can access on PC or your phone/tablet's internet browser) or via the Android app where these fees have never existed.