This week the external-payments story moved from policy to measurable revenue, with the first year-on-year decline in US App Store spending in a decade. In Japan, an industry coalition pressed regulators to enforce a six-month-old competition law, while Android's tightened developer verification reshapes sideloading from September.
Six months on, Japan's app-competition law is called "hollowed out" as an industry coalition presses for enforcement
Japan's smartphone-competition law has been in full force since December 2025, permitting third-party app marketplaces and external payments. A coalition of eight Japanese app-industry bodies published survey findings and remediation proposals on Aug 26, 2026, arguing the law's aims are not being met. In a survey of 30 app providers (34 responses), only 5.9% were using an alternative app store and in-app alternative-payment usage stood at 8.8%; respondents cited too few users, no fee advantage, and fear of platform retaliation. The group said that after reject notices over official-site links, developers removed the links in 90% of flagged Apple cases and all Google cases, flagged a non-intuitive iOS install flow, and said an entitlement requirement was changed without prior notice. It called Japan "three years behind" the EU and US and urged the Japan Fair Trade Commission to state whether Apple's and Google's terms comply and move to enforcement. An international app-fairness coalition that counts Epic Games among its members has also petitioned the JFTC.
Why it matters: For publishers monetizing outside the stores in Japan, this is a must-track compliance picture: the legal right to use alternative stores and external payments exists, but platform terms on entitlements and link-outs are still shifting and enforcement clarity is pending. The concrete steps are to budget for entitlement and terms churn, keep link-out implementations audit-ready, and watch for a JFTC compliance ruling that could reset the rules again.
Sources: ケータイ Watch, 2026年8月26日, 日本経済新聞, 2026年8月26日, 読売新聞, 2026年8月26日
US App Store spending falls year-on-year for the first time in a decade
US consumer spending on Apple's App Store declined year-on-year in Q2 2026, the first such drop in the decade Sensor Tower has tracked it. As reported by the Financial Times, the estimate is a 6% fall in the quarter, against 9% growth a year earlier. Sensor Tower attributed the decline largely to Apple's legal fight with Epic Games, which forced Apple to let developers steer players to external payment links without its usual 30% commission, saying the App Store had been "significantly impacted." The FT also cited Appfigures estimates that Apple's US commission revenue has contracted 18% this year, and that Apple is collecting less in Brazil and Japan after being compelled to open its stores in those markets; Epic's Tim Sweeney amplified the numbers on X.
Why it matters: This is the clearest published signal yet that link-outs and external payments are moving real money off the platform's take rate rather than shifting it on paper. For publishers, an out-of-app checkout now has measurable topline upside where it's permitted, and the markets already forcing this open — the US, Brazil, Japan — are where a web or DTC funnel pays back fastest.
Sources: Mobilegamer.biz, Aug 28, 2026
Android tightens developer verification, reshaping sideloading from September
Android's long-standing freedom to sideload apps is entering a major transition. A developer explainer published Aug 27, 2026 lays out Google's strengthened developer-verification requirement and the new sideloading restrictions taking effect in September, noting the impact differs for individual developers versus companies and walking through the concrete steps developers must take to keep distributing outside the Play Store. Prior reporting put the start of the new sideloading restrictions at Sept 30, 2026.
Why it matters: For publishers distributing on Android outside Google Play — direct APKs, third-party stores, out-of-app installers — verification is becoming a gating requirement rather than an option. Complete developer verification ahead of the September change and confirm which flow, individual or enterprise, applies so an existing sideload or alternative-store channel doesn't break at enforcement.
Sources: gihyo.jp, 2026年8月27日
The takeaway
This week’s developments suggest that external payments are beginning to affect both purchasing behavior and platform revenue. In the US, App Store consumer spending declined year-on-year for the first time in a decade. Meanwhile, the gap between regulation and implementation came into focus in Japan, while Android tightened the developer-verification requirements for distributing apps outside Google Play.
As out-of-app monetization expands, managing platform policy changes, tax, settlement, refunds, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance becomes increasingly important. By using an MoR to manage these operational responsibilities through a single framework, publishers can turn DTC revenue opportunities into sustainable growth.
