Apple concedes to South Korean law, opens up third-party app payments

Apple has opened up third-party payment options for app developers in South Korea, albeit with certain riders, to comply with the country’s fair-trade laws. The tech giant will allow developers to use the StoreKit External Purchase Entitlement, allowing “apps distributed on the App Store solely in South Korea the ability to provide an alternative in-app payment processing option,” the company said.

However, Apple has clarified that “some App Store features, such as Ask to Buy and Family Sharing, will not be available to your users, in part because we cannot validate payments that take place outside of the App Store’s private and secure payment system” if they use the entitlement.