Apple yesterday updated its App Store fees in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act and to put an end to its ongoing conflict with the European Commission. Apple cut the Core Technology Fee and simplified its pricing structure, so apps distributed through alternative marketplaces or through the web will pay less than before. When announcing the changes, Apple said it worked in "close collaboration" with the EC, and that the updates would "resolve Apple's disagreements with the Commission over business terms and alternative distribution." The European Commission has since confirmed that it approves of Apple's changes to its App Store policies, giving a statement to the Irish Independent : The Commission welcomes Apple's changes to their business terms, which follow a close dialogue between the Commission and Apple after the Commission issued a non-compliance decision related to Apple's steering terms as well as preliminary findings related to alternative app distribution, both in April 2025. Following today's announcement, the Commission will monitor Apple's effective implementation of the new terms. Under the DMA, users in the EU have a right to full and effective choice of alternative app distribution channels. The EC says it will continue to monitor how Apple implements the new terms, which will go into effect on October 1. While the EC approved Apple's planned changes, Apple legal opponent Epic Games was not happy with the new fee structure, denouncing the "new junk fees." ‌Epic Games‌ said Apple's new terms do not comply with the Digital Markets Act and claimed if the EC accepts the terms, the DMA "will become meaningless." Apple announced new junk fees in the EU that do nothing to open up the mobile app ecosystem to competition, as required by Digital Market Act. Apple will now charge: • 20% fee on alternative in-app payment options • 15% fee on links to make purchases outside apps • 5% Core Technology Commission on payments made in apps downloaded from alternative stores or the web The law makes it clear that Apple must allow developers to offer link outs to the web for purchases "free of charge" and has to allow "effective use" of competing stores. Apple's terms deliberately violate the Digital Markets Act. If the Commission accepts the terms and drops their ongoing enforcement actions, the law will become meaningless and consumers and developers will not experience the benefits it was designed to provide. Under the new terms, ‌Epic Games‌ will need to pay a five percent Core Technology Commission on digital purchases made through its ‌Epic Games‌ Store on the iPhone and iPad in the EU. For an app distributed through the ‌App Store‌ with a link to purchase options, Epic would need to pay 15 percent. Apple is implementing lower rates for Small Business Program, Video Partner Program, and Mini Apps Partner Program participants, plus it waives the Core Technology Commission for small marketplaces. ‌Epic Games‌ does not qualify for reduced fees. Tags: App Store , Epic Games , Epic Games vs. Apple , European Commission , European Union This article, " EU Welcomes Apple's App Store Changes, Epic Slams 'Junk Fees' " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple's camera-equipped AirPods will not launch until 2027 despite the demo video MacRumors found earlier this week , reports Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman . On Monday, MacRumors shared a demo video featuring the camera-equipped AirPods in action. The video was hidden in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate, suggesting Apple was preparing for a launch. That's apparently not the case, and people familiar with the product told Gurman the AirPods with cameras aren't going to launch anytime soon. The AirPods are not on Apple's 2026 release schedule because the company is still working to resolve supply chain and software challenges. Gurman's own reporting on the camera AirPods timing has been confusing. In May, he said the AirPods were in an "advanced" testing stage with mass production to begin soon, and then in June, he said the AirPods had been delayed until late 2027 . In early August, he reversed course and said the camera-equipped AirPods could launch as soon as September . In that report, he clarified that there were two variants of the camera-equipped AirPods in the works, one with a B790 codename and one with a B798 codename. "Apple famously creates competing versions of the same product internally," he wrote. In today's report, Gurman says the B790 product is a version of the AirPods Pro 3 with cameras, while the B798 model is a new generation of AirPods Pro with cameras. The B790 AirPods were shown off in the video , which featured a man holding a book up to the AirPods so Siri could read the title and save it for later. The B790 model was apparently "on the 2026 road map until recently," but Apple no longer plans to release it. The AirPods planned for 2027 will include low-resolution cameras that feed information to ‌Siri‌ AI for Visual Intelligence features as demonstrated in the video. The AirPods cameras will not be able to capture photos and videos. Apple could launch the new AirPods in fall 2027 alongside the 20th-anniversary iPhone. Related Roundups: AirPods 4 , AirPods Pro 3 Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Caution) , AirPods Pro (Neutral) Related Forum: AirPods This article, " Apple's Camera AirPods Not Launching Until 2027 Despite Leaked Video " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
9to5Mac is brought to you by Memoket : The Memoket Gem is an 11g AI wearable that slots beside your Apple Watch in a co-wear band. Press once to capture a conversation, and Gem connects it to what you discussed weeks ago — surfacing the earlier thread with a source link. From $179, shipping August 2026 . As we enter the final weeks of beta testing , Apple will likely release macOS 27 Golden Gate to the public next month. One of the biggest changes with this year’s update is the addition of an all-new Siri app for Mac users.
