New Netflix users can no longer pay for their subscription through iTunes.
You will need to sign up for the service using a browser like Safari instead — but nothing needs to change if you’re paying for Netflix through iTunes already.
Netflix started removing the iTunes billing option on iOS in a bunch of markets earlier this year as part of an experiment. By forcing users to sign up via its website instead, the company can sidestep Apple’s hefty cut of subscription fees.
The experiment obviously went well, and now the change has been rolled out to all iOS users around the world.
Netflix drops iTunes billing
“We no longer support iTunes as a method of payment for new members,” a Netflix spokesperson told VentureBeat.
If you already pay for Netflix through iTunes, you don’t need to do anything; your subscription will continue as normal. However, if you cancel your payment for at least one month, iTunes billing will no longer be available and you’ll need to rejoin through the Netflix website instead.
By subscribing through the Netflix website, you are paying 100 percent of your subscription fee to Netflix. If you subscribe through iTunes, however, Apple takes a 15 percent cut for doing next to nothing, and Netflix only receives 85 percent of your monthly payment.
Netflix has already stopped Play Store billing
Netflix already put a stop to Play Store billing on Android back in May in an effort to avoid Google’s fees, which are also 15 percent. Both Apple and Google used to charge a 30 percent cut — and still do on app purchases — but they halved the fee for subscriptions following complaints from app developers.
Other services, such as Spotify, have also tried to avoid Apple’s fees. Some, like Epic Games, simply hike their prices on iOS in an effort to make up the revenue they lose to Apple. V-Bucks purchased in Fortnite on iOS cost more than they do on other platforms.
