Apple and Google are now complicating the policies on digital content sales at their platforms. The changes will affect sale of paid courses in Stepik mobile apps available at App Store and Google Play.
You can find the policies in full at Google Play and App Store. The most important conditions for us are:
- Digital content has to be sold in apps only via App Store and Google Play payment services.
- If it’s impossible in the app to buy specific digital content via App Store and Google Play payment services, you won’t be able to use this content after it was purchased at another platform (i.e. if a learner purchases a course at Stepik’s website and this course can’t be purchased in the app via App Store and Google Play payment services, they won’t be able to learn at it in the app.)
- The cost of a course will include taxes (VAT) and Apple or Google fee.
Starting September 14, 2022, in-app purchases of courses in the Apple app are no longer available.
A learner can purchase the course via Stepik website and take the course in the app.
The changes will take effect in the second half of December 2021. We will be updating this article as soon as new information is available.
Please note that this article doesn’t apply to purchases made via Stepik website. The courses purchased at the website are available to learn in the apps same as before.
How will these changes affect learners who want to buy paid courses at Stepik mobile apps?
- Cost of a course will be higher when purchased via app than via website.
Course prices can differ depending on the payment system. App Store and Google Play add VAT and payment system fee to the price (so the difference from the original price can be from 15% to 30% from the price). Thus, final sums of purchase via App Store and Google Play payment systems will be larger than via Stepik payment systems.
- Return payments will depend on where the course was purchased.
- Android / For courses purchased via Google Play payment system, the standard scheme is used
- Stepik / For courses purchased via Yookassa payment system (Stepik website), the standard scheme is used
- iOS / Repayments for purchases made via the iOS app are processed by Apple, so Stepik doesn’t manage the repayments. Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions.
How will these changes affect paid course authors at Stepik?
Exchange rate difference
Payments for courses made via App Store and Google Play payment services are processed in USD. There may be situations when the sum of payout for courses sold in apps will be different from that for courses sold via Stepik payment system due to difference of exchange rates.
Longer payment period
Payouts for mobile app purchases will be made after the payments are processed by App Store or Google Play payment services, which can take up to 3 months. This doesn’t affect payments made via the website.
Course promotion
Please take these new rules into consideration when creating and promoting your paid courses.
Course price limitation
Apple and Google set limits for maximum cost of a course: App Store - USD1000, Google Play - USD400.