On April 30, 2025, a U.S. court ruled in the Epic v. Apple case that Apple is no longer allowed to collect fees on purchases made outside of the App Store. Due to this development, the November 2025 subscription billing transition deadline is now on hold.
This is still a developing situation, but we are moving forward under the assumption that the November 2025 deadline for all Patreon creators to switch to subscription billing is no longer necessary. While additional information may come that alters Apple’s requirements for Patreon’s iOS app, we are optimistic that this ruling will give us additional flexibility in how we support creators on legacy billing models. However, for now, creators still need to be on subscription billing to be able to accept payments through the Patreon iOS app.
For those who still want to proceed with switching to subscription billing, our team is happy to assist with the transition, since it still unlocks access to the latest growth tools on Patreon, like gifting, Autopilot and tier repricing.
Click on a question below to view the answer:
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The November 2025 deadline is no longer in effect. As of today, no new deadline has been set. Creators can still switch to Subscription Billing at any time.
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Switching to subscription billing has always been a permanent, one-time change, and there is not currently an option to switch back to a first-of-month or per-creation billing option once you switch to subscription billing.
The court ruling has temporarily given us more time and flexibility than before when we were forced to comply with Apple’s requirements. With 95% of active creators on subscription billing, we’re continuing to invest our time and resources into making it the most flexible option designed to support creators’ growth. In the future, we believe we may have more flexibility to offer adjustments to subscription billing to address the problems preventing creators from being able to switch.
At this time, there is no deadline in effect for switching to subscription billing, so if you have not switched yet, you are not required to do so at this time.
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As a result of the recent U.S. court ruling and changes on Apple's end, the November 2025 deadline is no longer in effect. As of today, no new deadline has been set. Apple has already appealed the ruling, and even if it stands, it would only apply to U.S.-based creators—about half of Patreon’s total—so there remains some uncertainty as the case moves through the courts.
In addition, Apple recently approved external checkout in iOS for U.S. fans of per-creation and first-of-the-month creators, which means partial iOS monetization is coming soon for those billing models — a major step forward in giving creators more flexibility.
That said, if you want to accept payments through the iOS app from fans outside the U.S., you’ll still need to be on subscription billing. And switching does unlock access to Patreon’s most powerful growth tools, including free trials, Autopilot, discounts, gifting, and tier repricing. With about 95% of active creators already using subscription billing, we’re continuing to invest in making it the most flexible and future-proof option available.
In the meantime, we’re using this as an opportunity to address specific product issues that have made switching harder for some creators — and we have more time to help you choose the path that works best for your business.
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Yes! If you want to find and communicate with members who joined through Apple’s in-app purchase system, you can do that through your Relationship Manager. Click Filters then scroll down to Subscription source. Then, Check the box labeled Apple in-app subscriptions.
This will show you all members who signed up through Apple’s in-app purchase system. From there, you can send them a direct message to share the new payment option or any other updates. Keep in mind: this change only applies to new sign-ups, and won’t affect existing members unless they cancel and re-subscribe.
Note: This new functionality—letting U.S. fans use alternative payment methods in the iOS app—will finish rolling out within the week for all creators. To access it, U.S. fans will need to update to the latest version of the Patreon app. Once they update, the new checkout option will appear automatically.
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Yes. While the court ruling only applies to the U.S., the decision to pause the November 2025 subscription billing migration deadline applies globally. If anything changes, we’ll give everyone plenty of notice. As a reminder, the ruling only applies to U.S. fans, regardless of where creators reside. That means, for creators still on first-of-month or per-creation billing, the purchase buttons will only appear to fans in the U.S.
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Right now, the alternative checkout option is only available to U.S.-based fans. The court ruling doesn’t apply internationally, so we’re not yet able to offer this outside the U.S. We’ll continue to monitor legal developments and explore options as things evolve. If you are a creator located outside of the U.S., your fans based in the U.S. will get access to alternative payment options.
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Yes—you can issue refunds during the 75-day hold window. If the refund is approved by Apple, the refunded amount will be deducted from your pending balance.
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Yes. For creators using subscription billing, Patreon’s checkout is now the default for U.S. fans, helping you avoid Apple’s 30% fee. However, Apple’s in-app purchase system will still appear as an option for U.S. fans—and remains the only option for international fans, since this court ruling only applies in the U.S.
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Yes—but only if a fan checks out using Apple’s in-app purchase. The 75-day hold still applies to those transactions, as well as any existing pending earnings from past Apple purchases.
Patreon’s checkout is now the default for new U.S. sign-ups, which means faster payouts for those transactions—no Apple hold involved.
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Yes, Patreon’s checkout option—which avoids Apple’s 30% fee—is now the default checkout option for U.S. fans making membership purchases in the iOS app. Your U.S. fans now see the price you set without Apple’s fee automatically added in, just like they would on the web or Android.
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We’ve built our latest features to be compatible with subscription billing, since around 95% of creators on Patreon are on that billing model. We may make certain features available to creators on legacy billing models when possible. For example, the upcoming Benefit Eligibility Status Tool will be available to all creators regardless of billing model.
- Will Patreon’s updated checkout include digital commerce and sellable posts as well?While digital commerce items are available to purchase in the iOS app for all creators, they still include Apple’s required fee. We’re continuing to explore ways to improve this experience and will share updates as they become available.