Apple sent an email to developers on Tuesday, announcing that it will be increasing prices in the App Store in Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey, while introducing new low-priced tiers in some emerging markets.
According to a copy of the email provided to AppleInsider by reader Gregg, Apple is raising App Store prices to account for fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and a 10-percent value-added tax (VAT) for South Korea, meaning auto-renewable subscriptions will expire in most areas. Changes are scheduled to take effect within 36 hours, the note said.
Apple notes that for any apps sold in South Korea, the company will pay upfront VAT fees for developers from outside that country, (they’ll collect the same amount on the backend), while developers living in South Korea will be responsible for paying their own VAT fees.
Customers in South Africa, South Korea and Turkey who have auto-renew subscriptions will need to resubscribe once the new pricing takes effect. Apple will send emails to those customers with information about the price change, and will include a link to resubscribe. Subscribers in Mexico will be charged the new price automatically without the need to resubscribe.
Apple is also introducing two new low-price tiers in some emerging markets. “Alternate Tier A,” and “Alternate Tier B” will debut in Indian, Indonesian, Mexican, Russian, South African and Turkish markets.
