Apple officially ends its App Store affiliate program this October

This important source of revenue for some will be drying up soon.

Brittany Vincent

August 2, 2018 2:25 PM

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Apple has made the announcement that it will be discontinuing its iTunes Affiliate Program, at least in terms of including apps for iOS and macOS. These changes are coming on October 1, 2018, so if you've been relying on that extra bit of income to help fund an initiative or just for some pocket cash on the side, unfortunately that will be going away.

In the past, the program had allowed individuals to link out to select apps, which would offer out a small payout if consumers happened to purchase said app. Originally, affiliates would earn about 7 percent of each app's purchase price, and in April 2017, that was dropped to 2.5 percent. Now, later this year, the program is being taken down entirely, except for purchases that extend to music, movies, books, and TV shows purchased via the App Store.

The news was sent out via Apple's official newsletter, and it's going to be quite the blow for bloggers and other creators who had previously relied on this income to make ends meet. You can see the announcement in full below via the screenshot. 

This news comes with little fanfare, but hopefully those affected by the program's sunsetting will be able to find alternative viable methods to help them continue to support their endeavors. Apple hasn't yet given a reason for the decision to shut down the program for those who used it in tandems with apps and app review sites, but there's probably a good reason behind it, and a very green one, at that. 

Brittany Vincent

Senior Editor

Fueled by horror, rainbow-sugar-pixel-rushes, and video games, Brittany is a Senior Editor at Shacknews who thrives on surrealism and ultraviolence. Follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake and check out her portfolio for more. Like a fabulous shooter once said, get psyched!