Apples App Store prices on the rise

Apple has changed the minimum price of Apps within the App Store in several countries due to changes in VAT and currency exchange rates which unfortunately means the minimum price for Apps has gone up in the UK.

Apple let developers know that the changes were arriving for the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Canada and the UK.  

This means that the minimum price for Apps in the UK has gone up by £0.10 which is almost a 13% increase to £0.79 from £0.69. Minimum App prices in the EU are now €0.99 and Canada is $1.19.

These changes are due to legislation that went into effect on January 1^st 2015, which increased the VAT on digital goods, including apps, eBooks and MP3s. The VAT was increase by 6.5% in most European countries.

These sorts of price changes aren’t uncommon for Apples App Store. Apple has made changes in back in 2014 to minimum app store prices, when they increased prices in Australia, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey, while reducing prices in New Zealand and Israel.

They also did the same thing in 2011, in order to readjust the huge differences in App prices between different countries. This was the last time Apple raised prices on the UK App Store, having raised the base price from just £0.10 to £0.69.

Apple gives the App developers the freedom to pick their own prices but only from specific tiers set by Apple.

The next price tier for Apples has stay at £1.49 but the 3^rd tier has increased also increase by 13% meaning apps that used to cost £1.99 are now £2.29.