Update: Netflix says that this change will affect basic plan subscribers in some countries, including the US and Canada, but not all users on Netflix.
Did you subscribe to Netflix membership through the Apple App Store’s in-app purchase system? There is bad news for you! Netflix is ending subscriptions for legacy in-app payment users.
Back in 2018, Netflix stopped taking new subscribers who wanted to sign up through the App Store. However, existing subscribers who paid via the in-app purchase system were able to continue doing so.
Now, it seems like the streaming giant is ending its in-app subscription system for those legacy subscribers. Netflix is notifying its users that they need to make a change to the payment method and start paying for the service directly through the company’s official website. You can still use the external subscription link to get the membership on iPhone and iPad.
However, the Netflix support page says that “some Apple-billed members in select countries may be prompted to add a new payment method to continue their subscription.” Netflix did not specify the names of the countries affected by the change, but the statement is live on the company’s support page for the United States.
Currently, there is no news on how many users continue to pay via in-app purchasing, as Netflix withdrew the option nearly six years ago. With Netflix’s completely parting ways with the App Store payment system, Apple will no longer receive a portion of each subscription purchased directly through the App Store.
At the moment, Apple takes a 30% cut of all apps and in-app purchases made through the App Store, but when a subscriber pays for a full year, prices drop to 15%. Thus, businesses that depend on a monthly subscription model, such as Netflix, deem the cut excessive.