In a move to comply with Apple’s subscription billing policy, Patreon has announced a transition away from legacy billing methods, affecting 4% of its creators who still use first-of-the-month and per-creation models. Apple’s deadline for creators to switch to subscription billing by November 1, 2026, is a result of the company’s revived subscriptions mandate. Patreon will automatically transition creators who do not switch manually by the deadline.
This decision echoes a previous attempt by Apple in 2024, which was later retracted following the Epic Games v. Apple ruling. Despite the option for iOS users to join via mobile web to avoid Apple’s 30% fees, subscription billing remains the only method supporting Apple’s in-app purchase system.
Patreon expressed concerns about the need for consistency and clarity for creators to build sustainable businesses. The abrupt policy changes have caused disruptions for creators using legacy billing methods, marking the third reversal from Apple within the past 18 months.
We await Apple’s response to this development.
Source: The Verge