Apple updates App Store Review Guidelines allowing ‘reader’ apps to have link for account registration

Apple made an update for App Store Review Guidelines allowing ‘reader’ apps to link to website for account registration.

Last year, Apple announced an update coming to the App Store in early 2022 that would allow developers of “reader” apps to include an in-app link to their website for account creation and management purposes. Starting today, with the update of App Store Review guideline 3.1.3(a), developers of reader apps can now request access to the External Link Account Entitlement. This entitlement lets reader apps link to a website that is owned or maintained by the developer, so that users can create or manage their account outside of the app. Reader apps are apps that provide one or more of the following digital content types — magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, or video — as the primary functionality of the app.

Apple Developer

At the same time, Apple also made new change for external payment processing for dating apps in Netherlands. Now apps do not require to have separate binary to use external payment processing.

This proposal is yet to be accepted by ACM.

Apple Developer:

• Update on “reader” app distribution
• Update on StoreKit External Entitlement for dating apps

Reference:

• Apple Eliminates Separate Binary Requirement for Dutch Dating Apps Accepting Alternative Payments
• Apple enables external link support in ‘reader’ apps, updates App Store dating app policy to satisfy Dutch regulators
• ‘Reader’ Apps Can Now Add Links for Account Signups Outside of the App Store