Apple is threatening to remove Patreon from the iOS App Store, saying the platform must “switch to their iOS in-app purchase system.”

Apple notified Patreon late last year that it would be required to switch to the iOS in-app payment system, beginning in 2024. The deadline is quickly approaching, with Apple saying the company must remove all other billing options from the iOS app by November 2024.

As Patreon points out, this will impact creators and fans in two major ways:

• Apple will be applying their 30% App Store fee to all new memberships purchased in the Patreon iOS app, in addition to anything bought in your Patreon shop.
• Any creator currently on first-of-the-month or per-creation billing plans will have to switch over to subscription billing to continue earning in the iOS app, because that’s the only billing type Apple’s in-app purchase system supports.

Patreon makes clear that this only impacts new memberships:

Before we go any further, we want to be crystal clear about one thing: Apple’s fee will not impact your existing members. It will only affect new memberships purchased in the iOS app from November onward.

Patreon says it has been working with creators to provide options that best address the situation:

Based on creator feedback, we’ve built an optional tool that can automatically increase your prices — only in the iOS app — to offset the cost of Apple’s fee. This way, you’ll continue to earn at least the same amount per membership as you do on all other platforms.

That said, you deserve the chance to decide whether that’s something you want. So, while the automatic price increase is the default option, you also have the choice to keep your prices the same and pay the 30% fee from your earnings. We don’t recommend this, because it means you’d earn less per membership on in-app iOS transactions – but ultimately we believe it’s important to give you agency to make your own decisions.

Obviously, neither of these solutions are ideal. But remember, Apple’s fees are only in the iOS app. Your prices on the web and the Android app will remain completely unaffected. You can always send your fans to this Help Center article which explains the iOS in-app fees relative to other platforms, so they can better understand the implications of where they choose to make their purchases.

Apple’s billing requirement also creates problems for Patreon and its community:

Patreon is home to an incredible range of creators, all with unique circumstances and billing needs. Apple’s in-app purchase system, on the other hand, only supports Patreon’s subscription billing model. Apple has also made clear that if creators on Patreon continue to use unsupported billing models or disable transactions in the iOS app, we will be at risk of having the entire app removed from their App Store.

Apple’s billing mandates mean that if you’re on a first-of-the-month or per-creation billing model, your membership will no longer be available to fans in the iOS app starting this November until you switch over to subscription billing.

As a result of Apple’s mandates and in order to make sure that you can continue getting new members in the iOS app, we’ve started a 16-month-long migration process to bring all creators onto subscription billing by November 2025, supported by a roadmap of new features and tools to make sure the billing model works for you, your community, and your business. To be clear, this means that first-of-the-month and per-creation billing models will be discontinued in November 2025.

Most creators on Patreon use subscription billing. Over the past few years, we’ve slowly rolled it out, tackling each hurdle that has come up to ensure that the migration is not disruptive for creators. That’s the way we like to roll out products. Unfortunately, because of Apple’s timelines and constraints, we can’t continue to do it this way. Instead of helping creators move to subscription billing if and when they feel like it’s right for them, we’re now forced to migrate all creators on Apple’s timeline.

Patreon says it will continue to work with creators to improve the billing process. What’s more, it is tapping into its community of creators who have already made the switch, recruiting them to make how-to videos and instructional articles and FAQs to help others through the transition.

In the broader scope, Patreon’s dilemma illustrates why Apple has increasingly found itself under regulatory scrutiny for its App Store billing practices.