External purchase link / web-shop deep-link requirements that broke last quarter

Link-out and disclosure rules keep moving. This record dates the August–October 2026 Apple EU unified-terms transition that operators wiring web-shop deep links must re-check. It is not a US Epic-injunction chronicle.

What changed (body-read)

Apple’s Changes for apps in the European Union (opened 20 September 2026) states:

• Developer Program License Agreement updated 18 August 2026.
• Unified EU business terms go into effect 1 October 2026.
• Apps may offer alternative payment processing in-app and out-of-app offers (website / alternative marketplace / another app), with or without an actionable link.
• Developers must maintain chosen payment options for 12 months.
• Actionable out-of-app offers are subject to a store services commission on sales within 7 days of the link tap (rates tabulated on the page).
• Child-safety parental-gate rules apply to alternative payments by age band.
• Prior Alternative Terms / External Purchase Link (EU) addenda are phased out in favour of Attachment 14 from the effective date.

StoreKit External Purchase documents the entitlement/API surface (ExternalPurchase, custom-link paths) that implementations must follow by region.

Operator action

Download the change card.

Limits

Body-read of Apple EU support page and External Purchase docs only. No App Store Connect account was inspected. Google Play link-out programmes are out of scope for this edition.

Research checked 20 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review pending. No CMS write.