Apple says Patreon creators must switch to subscription billing by November

Patreon will unit creators to move distant from bequest billing methods this autumn to appease Apple’s recently revived subscriptions mandate. The migration will effect 4 percent of Patreon creators who still usage first-of-the-month and per creation billing models, pinch Apple imposing a deadline to move to subscription billing by November 1st, 2026. On its support page, Patreon says it will “automatically transition” immoderate creators who person not manually switched by this date.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because Apple has already introduced and past U-turned connected this instruction before. In 2024, Apple initially told Patreon to move its creators to the App Store’s in-app acquisition strategy — allowing Apple’s 30 percent committee to beryllium applied to purchases and renewals — by November 2025, aliases “risk being kicked retired of the App Store.” Patreon announced successful May that the deadline was nary longer successful effect because Apple had approved an update to supply iOS users successful the US pinch replacement checkout options pursuing the Epic Games v. Apple ruling, which blocks Apple from imposing fees connected purchases made extracurricular of apps.

Now Apple has revived the instruction pinch a caller deadline. Patreon members connected iOS tin still skirt Apple’s 30 percent fees by joining via mobile web, but subscription billing will see those fees and is the only method that supports Apple’s in-app acquisition system.

“We powerfully disagree pinch this decision,” Patreon said successful the announcement blog. “Creators request consistency and clarity successful bid to build healthy, semipermanent businesses. Instead, creators utilizing bequest billing will now person to strengthen the whiplash of different argumentation reversal – the 3rd specified alteration from Apple successful the past 18 months.”

We person reached retired to Apple for comment.