In a move that shocked absolutely no one who has ever tried to sell a digital thing on an iPhone, Apple announced this week it will let certain developers keep a slightly bigger slice of their own revenue.
The company is expanding its "small business program" and introducing new tiers that let app makers earning under a certain threshold pay a reduced commission instead of the standard 30 percent cut.
Translation: the trillion-dollar company is graciously allowing the little guys to keep a few more crumbs.
The change comes after years of very loud complaining from developers, a few high-profile lawsuits, and regulators in Europe and the US poking around with the kind of intensity usually reserved for people who just discovered antitrust law exists.
Epic Games is somewhere throwing another tantrum, presumably.
Here's the thing nobody wants to say out loud: this isn't Apple suddenly growing a conscience.
This is Apple doing the bare minimum to keep governments off its back while still collecting a toll on every tap of the "Buy" button.
It's like a bouncer letting you in for free but charging you to breathe the air inside.
For regular users, the practical impact is roughly zero.
You'll still pay $4.99 for the app that used to cost $2.99.
Your favorite indie developer might get a slightly bigger check, which is nice, but don't expect prices to drop.
Companies don't lower prices when their costs go down.
Google, never one to be out-innovated when it comes to following Apple's lead, is reportedly considering similar tweaks for the Play Store.
Because nothing says "fierce competition" like two companies copying each other's homework and calling it a revolution.
Every one of these policy changes comes with a fresh pile of billable hours while the rest of us argue about it in comment sections.
What does this mean for you, the person who just wants their phone to stop autocorrecting "ducking"?
The only difference is that Apple gets to run a PR campaign about how much it cares about the little developer while still being the same walled garden it's always been.
If you're a developer, this is marginally good news.
If you're a regulator, it's a reason to keep the pressure on.
The honest take: platform fees were always a tax on creativity, and a slightly smaller tax is still a tax.
Final Thoughts
There's plenty to go around when you're sitting on a mountain of them.