14 DAY TRIAL // Developers enrolled with Apple have started to receive notices regarding a change in pricing for their apps in certain territories, as a result of changes in foreign exchange rates. The price spikes will be felt in only a handful of countries.
The Mac maker addresses developers saying, “Dear [developer], Within the next 24 hours, the following changes will be made to pricing on the App Store. To account for changes in foreign exchange rates, App Store retail prices will be increased for the following currencies.”
The company confirms that the currencies subject to price spikes are the Australian Dollar, the Indian Rupee, the Indonesian Rupiah, the Turkish Lira, and the South African Rand.
“Additionally, retail prices for Israeli New Shekels and some price tiers for the New Zealand Dollar will be decreased,” the company adds.
Apple includes a reassuring note telling application sellers that this is a standard procedure whenever one or more currencies go too much in a certain direction. According to the letter, “Price adjustments on the App Store are made periodically due to changes in foreign exchange rates.”
Developers can expect to see the new Pricing Matrix in the Rights and Pricing section of Manage Your Apps on iTunes Connect within 24 hours since Apple sent them the letter.
As a result of this change, the Cupertino mammoth has also made adjustments to the contracts between the company and third-party developers selling apps on iTunes, including desktop software developers.
“Updates to iOS Paid Applications and Mac OS X Paid Applications contracts will be available on the iTunes Connect website. To view all current and outstanding contracts, see Contracts, Tax, and Banking on iTunes Connect,” Apple says.
The App Store team’s email ends without any clarification as to how this impacts end-users. Apple fails to provide one or more examples of apps that have seen a price increase. However, a quick trip to the Australian app store quickly gave away the change.
While $0.99 (€0.72) apps remain priced the same, more expensive titles like the $6.99 (€5.07) Minecraft – Pocket Edition now sells for $7.49 (€5.43) in Australian dollars.
Apple strangely doesn’t mention the change on its News and Announcements section on the company’s Developer portal. The last announcement included there was on February 17, when the iPhone maker informed developers of “Important Affiliate Program Changes for Europe and South America.” Visit Apple’s developer site to learn more.