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Patreon creators will have to make changes soon, thanks to Apple. On Wednesday, Patreon said Apple has changed the requirement that all Patreon creators must switch to subscription billing. The deadline to do this is November 1, 2026.
by Patreon blog post the announcement of the change made it clear that it had no other choice. “We disagree with this decision,” the company wrote. “Creators need consistency and clarity to build healthy, long-term businesses. Instead, creators using legacy billing will have to endure the whiplash of another policy change — the third change from Apple in the past 18 months.”
Up until this point, Patreon’s billing model operated in a gray area, allowing its creators to charge fans outside of the App Store without paying Apple a fee. This is because some of the content that people pay for will be available in-app, while others will not.
But now Apple is rolling back its subscription mandate, eliminating the gray area. “We know Apple is serious about enforcing this order,” Patreon wrote. “Late last year, they blocked an update to the Patreon app and made it clear that in order to stay in the App Store, we had to comply with their billing requirement. Since millions of fans use iOS as their primary way to access Patreon and connect with creators, blocking our app – or not being available in the App Store at all – was not an option.”
Patreon’s “whiplash” description is not hyperbole. Apple first announced the mandate in 2024. At that time, the deadline for all Patreon creators to make the switch is set for November 2025 — one that Patreon has welcomed with aplomb. But according to the company, Apple told it in May that the original 2025 deadline was no longer in effect. Now, it appears that is being repeated again.
If there is a silver lining, TechCrunch notes that only 4 percent of Patreon creators use affected (legacy) billing models. And fans can still avoid Apple’s iOS fees by participating through their iPhone’s web browser. Patreon has more details for its creators post the notice.
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 21: US President Donald Trump (R) speaks with Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) as he attends a reception for business leaders (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)
As for Apple, well, it is familiar paper of “Big, Bad App Store Taxman” pales in comparison to some of his recent titles. For starters, there is this remove the ICEBlock app (and one more ICE arrest recordings are logged) in October. At least part of an app category that the “Privacy is a human right” company not take it Grok, X and (reportedly) dozens of other apps TODAY allow iPhone owners to “digitally undress” real peopleincluding children. 28 advocacy groups even called on the company to fire themuseless.
At the end of it all, Tim Cook decided that Saturday – the day Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents – was a good time to attend the screening of Melania at the White House. He even posing for a selfie along with accused rapist Brett Ratner, the film’s director.
