On October 29, 2026, Apple announced that the standard commission on the Taiwan storefront of the App Store drops from 30% to 26%, effective October 31, 2026. It applies to standard Apple In-App Purchase and paid app transactions on iOS and iPadOS. You do not need to sign the revised agreement first to get the new rate. This post covers what Apple said, what it does to your proceeds, what Apple has not said, and what a small app team should check this week. Every fact below comes from Apple's own pages, listed in the Sources section.
What did Apple change on the Taiwan App Store?
Apple's developer news post "Adjustments to the Taiwan storefront of the App Store on iOS and iPadOS" (October 29, 2026) says Apple is making the change following discussions with the Taiwan Fair Trade Commission. The post gives four concrete points.
| Item | Before | From October 31, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard commission, Taiwan storefront | 30% | 26% |
| Covers | In-App Purchase and paid apps | Same, on iOS and iPadOS |
| Signing updated terms first | Not applicable | Not required for the new rate |
Apple also says the Apple Developer Program License Agreement has been revised to support the updated policies, and that you can accept the updated terms after signing in to your account. Translations of the agreement will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month. Apple published a Traditional Chinese version of the announcement on its Taiwan developer pages.
How much does 26% change for your proceeds?
Four percentage points of commission is a 5.7% increase in what you keep from each sale at the standard rate. That is our own arithmetic on Apple's two numbers, shown below on a round price. Tax handling differs by storefront and is left out, so treat the figures as the commission effect alone.
| Customer pays | You keep at 30% | You keep at 26% |
|---|---|---|
| 10.00 | 7.00 | 7.40 |
| 100.00 | 70.00 | 74.00 |
| 1,000.00 | 700.00 | 740.00 |
The gain is real but small for most indie apps. If a Taiwan storefront brings you 500 USD a month in customer payments, the change is worth 20 USD a month. It matters more once Taiwan is a meaningful share of your revenue, and that depends on the product page people see there.
What has Apple not said?
The announcement is short. It leaves three questions open that small teams will ask first.
- The Small Business Program. Apple's Small Business Program page describes a reduced 15% commission on paid apps and In-App Purchases for developers with up to 1 million USD in proceeds in the prior calendar year. The Taiwan post does not say how the 26% rate interacts with it. If you are enrolled, nothing in the pages we read says your rate moves, so check your own App Store Connect agreements and reports before you assume a number.
- Subscriptions and renewals. The post names standard In-App Purchase and paid app transactions. It does not spell out subscription year-two rates or other special rates. We are not going to guess.
- Other storefronts and platforms. The change is for the Taiwan storefront on iOS and iPadOS. It does not mention macOS, tvOS, visionOS or any other storefront.
Where Apple is silent, the safe move is to read the revised agreement and your financial reports for the first Taiwan sales after October 31, then compare the commission line to what you expected.
What should you check this week?
- Accept the updated terms. Apple says you do not have to sign by October 31 to get the new rate, but accepting is how you stay current on the agreement. Apple says you accept the updated terms by signing in to your account.
- Look at your Taiwan numbers. Open your sales reports, filter by the Taiwan storefront and note last quarter's customer payments. That is your baseline for judging the change.
- Update your pricing notes. If you keep a spreadsheet of net revenue per storefront, change the Taiwan rate from 30% to 26% from October 31. Do not change retroactively.
- Decide whether Taiwan deserves more effort. A lower commission raises the return on every Taiwan install that pays. A product page written for Taiwan is the cheapest way to get more of them.
- Check your Traditional Chinese listing. Taiwan users see the Traditional Chinese localization of your product page if you provide one. If you only ship English, your screenshots and subtitle are the first thing a Taiwan visitor cannot read.
What does this mean for your Taiwan product page and screenshots?
The commission change does not add a screenshot slot or change any asset size. The product page rules stay the same. What changes is the value of getting that page right for one market. Apple's own Traditional Chinese announcement shows how the company itself writes for Taiwan developers, which is a reminder that Traditional Chinese is its own localization and not a re-skin of Simplified Chinese.
Screenshot captions are where most teams lose the most. Text in Chinese packs more meaning per character than English, so a caption can get shorter, but the glyphs need enough size to stay readable on the smallest device frame. Our German listings data shows how string length changes the space you have, and the character limit overflow post covers the name, subtitle and keyword field limits you hit when you translate. For the frame dimensions themselves, use the screenshot sizes tool.
If you are a small team looking for other free ways to turn a localized page into installs, the free promotion guide lists what we have tested, and the Apps of the Week page features indie apps each week.
Frequently asked questions
When does the 26% Taiwan commission start?
Apple says it starts on October 31, 2026 for standard Apple In-App Purchase and paid app transactions on the Taiwan storefront of the App Store on iOS and iPadOS. The previous rate was 30%.
Do I have to sign the new agreement to get the lower rate?
No. Apple says signing the updated terms by October 31 is not required to receive the new commission rate starting that date. You can still accept the revised Apple Developer Program License Agreement from your developer account.
Does the change apply to the Small Business Program rate?
Apple's announcement does not say. The Small Business Program page describes a 15% rate for eligible developers. Check your agreements and financial reports to see what applies to your account.
Does this change apply to storefronts other than Taiwan?
No. The announcement covers only the Taiwan storefront of the App Store on iOS and iPadOS.
Where can I read the announcement in Traditional Chinese?
Apple published a Traditional Chinese version on its Apple Developer support pages for Taiwan. A translated version of the updated agreement is due on the Apple Developer website within one month of the announcement.
Sources
- Apple Developer News, "Adjustments to the Taiwan storefront of the App Store on iOS and iPadOS", October 29, 2026
- Apple Developer Support (Taiwan), "對 App Store 台灣店面的 iOS 及 iPadOS 的調整", October 2026
- Apple Developer, "App Store Small Business Program"
Updated October 31, 2026. Last checked against Apple's pages on October 31, 2026. Apple may change these terms, so confirm them in your developer account before you act.