Apple today informed developers about some upcoming pricing changes for apps and in-app purchases in Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Germany, and South Korea, with Apple introducing a new VAT in some countries and adjusting pricing in others.
Apple says that when taxes or foreign exchange rates change, prices on the App Store in certain regions and some proceeds need to be adjusted. In Zimbabwe and Cameroon, proceeds will be adjusted and proceeds will be calculated based on the tax-exclusive price.
Cameroon - New value-added tax of 19.25%
Zimbabwe - New value-added tax of 14.5%
In Germany and South Korea, prices of apps and in-app purchases are increasing, but auto-renewable subscription prices will remain the same.
Germany - Value-added tax rate reversion to 19% after temporary decrease to 16%. App Store pricing will not change.
South Korea - Prices of alternative tiers for apps and in-app purchases (excluding auto-renewable subscriptions) will be adjusted to allow for additional locally relevant pricing conventions.
When the changes go into effect, the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps for developers will be updated, and app pricing can be changed any time using App Store Connect. Full pricing changes are available on Apple's site. [PDF]
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
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Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
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The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker.
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Goodness! 19.25% tax on every purchase! Consumers working for the government.
Well my taxes don’t pay the government. They pay my schools, police stations, hospitals, firestations, trains, autobahns, universities so I am fine with that. Sure it could be less. But then some of that stuff would cost extra. It is what it is.
Almost makes me wish for AppleCoin; so I can prebuy into the currency used within the Apple ecosystem. Just to be on the safe side of any fluctuations. ?
Makes me wish sales tax wasn't a way to subsidize corporate income tax loopholes. The government already took my contribution when I earned the money.
Please tell me you're not actually this "uneducated".
So the government should only take taxes on services rendered by the police to pay for the police; so if you're a victim of a crime you pay "taxes" to fund their part in solving it, but if you're not a victim you don't pay taxes to the police. And you only pay taxes to build the roads that you travel on, and no other roads.
So no taxes unless you see a direct link to what you're using?
(And just to play along here I of course chose to, in your favour, completely ignore that the government is what's structuring the whole ass infrastructure that actually makes it possible to have a functioning internet in their country; things like coordinating frequencies for cellular services, and making sure it's possible to put fiber in the ground for wired connections. And so on and on and on. Making the local government very much doing plenty of things directly related to said app.)
Please tell me that you are not so full of yourself that you need to resort to personal attacks just because someone has a different opinion than you. Don't you worry about me, I am highly educated and extremely successful. I think I'll get by in life without you teaching me.
It does appear however, your swollen "educated" head has a reading disability. Where did I say "no taxes unless you see a direct link". My comment was answering your assertion that the government has something to do with App purchases. They do not, and that is 100% factually correct. I also did not say their shouldn't be any tax applied to the App store or any other purchase for that matter. I am just saying that 20% is unproportionately high to the services that money will be used for. Taxation is complex and unless I analyze all aspects of taxation for each country, its impossible to come to a complete conclusion. But in general, as I already mentioned, I believe property taxes should be the main driver of tax revenue for the services brought up and not some kid buying a game on the internet.
Your rebuttal was because the government provides nice things, they are justified to take what they want, wherever they want with out being questioned. So if they raised it to 40%, 80%, 600%. Would you have a problem with it then? If your answer is yes, then the only difference between you and me, is the rate at which it becomes a problem. I have no issue with disagreeing over rates, everyone sees things differently. But next time, check your personal attacks at the door.
Well my taxes don’t pay the government. They pay my schools, police stations, hospitals, firestations, trains, autobahns, universities so I am fine with that. Sure it could be less. But then some of that stuff would cost extra. It is what it is.
