Apple Changes App Store Pricing: UK Apps Get More Expensive

Apple has quietly changed App Store prices for locations outside of the US, with UK pricing climbing by up to 26-percent while other territories have seen their software get cheaper. The move, Tap Mag reports, is thanks to a pricing tier update by Apple itself, rather than developers making any modifications: although US pricing has stayed the same, a £0.59 app (which would be $0.99 in the US) is now £0.69 in the UK. At the other extreme, apps that were £399.99 or above (the $699.99 tier or above in the US) have now risen by £100.

Developers submitting paid apps to the App Store don't set a final price for end-consumers: instead, they assign their app to a pricing tier. That intermediary step means that Apple has the freedom to decide final pricing; this latest change looks to be an update based upon evolving exchange rates, as Apple tweaks the tiers so as to take into account how global currencies have shifted in the past months.

For most App Store shoppers, sticking to the lower priced apps, the changes will make only the smallest difference to what they spend. £1.19 apps are now £1.49, a 25.2-percent increase, while £1.79 apps are now £1.99, an 11.2-percent increase. Considering you've already spend several hundred on your iOS device, a few extra pence doesn't seem like it will make a huge difference.

Of course, other locations have seen their prices fall – Japan, for instance, now has cheaper apps – so what difference you see will depend on where you are. We're interested to hear whether this change has left you livid at Apple or not especially bothered, so let us know in the comments.