Creator platform Patreon took issue with Apple’s new mandate forcing all creators to move to a subscription billing model, which now has a new transition period of November 1, 2026.
When the change comes it will only impact on it 4% of the creator which still uses the legacy billing model of Patreon, the company’s announcement emphasizes that Apple’s lack of consistency in terms of change has made it difficult for creators to build a healthy, long-term business.
What Patreon is referring to is Apple’s announced mandate in 2024 regarding subscription billing changes. He said that Patreon should move all creators to a subscription bill use Apple’s in-app purchase system in November 2025 or Patreon will risk being removed from the App Store. Apple made this decision because Patreon manages the billing for some percentage of its creators’ subscriptions, and the tech giant is looking at the App Store’s commission structure.
To Apple’s credit, Patreon has been given plenty of time to migrate its subscribers to Apple’s in-app purchases.
The company said will switch the creator to a subscription bill in November 2024, and creators can choose to increase their subscription prices to cover Apple’s costs. In addition, creators can choose to postpone the change until November 2025 if they need more time. However, they won’t be able to offer in-app subscriptions until they use Apple’s in-app purchases.
last may, Patreon takes advantage of it App Store guidelines recently loosened as a result of The US court’s ruling in Epic v. Apple to give creators the ability to process web payments from links in the Patreon app. At the time, Patreon informed creators that the November 2025 deadline no longer applied. This gives creators more time to decide what to do with their subscription business.
The company now says that its decision to pause the transition for creators may add to the confusion as Apple currently imposes a transition end date of November 2026.
While Patreon is subject to Apple’s decision, it’s very clear about the idea that the tech giant should have a say in how creators conduct their business.
“We strongly disagree with this decision,” the blog posted.
“Creators need consistency and clarity to build a healthy and long-term business. However, creators who use legacy billing now have to suffer from another policy reversal – Apple’s third change in the past 18 months. Over the years, we have proposed various tools and features to Apple that we can build to allow creators to use legacy billing more. They have consistently rejected them,” he said.
Creators can read more about the transition plan at the Patreon website. It has also built several tools to support this change, including a benefit eligibility tool to see who has paid or is scheduled to pay, level repricing tooland gifting and discount tools to offer payment flexibility. An option for annual membership only will be introduced before November 2026 as well.