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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://recurr.dev/docs/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

The EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) materially loosened Apple and Google’s grip on iOS and Android billing inside the European Union. For migration, the DMA is net helpful — it widens the lanes the framework already operates in, without requiring the framework itself to change.

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What the DMA changed

Effective March 2024, large platform operators (“gatekeepers” — Apple, Google, others) face additional obligations in the EU:
  • No anti-steering. Apps can communicate with users about alternative subscription options — including in-app — within EU jurisdictions, where previously this was restricted.
  • Alternative billing. Apple and Google must permit third-party billing systems for apps distributed in the EU, with reduced gatekeeper fees on those flows.
  • Sideloading (iOS only). Alternative app distribution outside the App Store, again EU-specific.
For most apps, the DMA’s practical effect on migration is that email outreach to EU subscribers is on even firmer footing than under standard Apple/Google guidelines, and alternative billing options inside the app are now also legal within the EU.

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What the framework does for EU subscribers

The framework’s default posture is policy-conservative: the migration runs entirely outside the app binary in all jurisdictions, including the EU. This is intentional — running one operating model across all geos is cleaner than splitting “DMA inside the app” from “non-DMA outside the app.” If your app is EU-heavy and there’s a meaningful upside to using DMA-permitted in-app communication, that’s a discussion in the Migration Review. The framework can support a hybrid model where EU subscribers see in-app messaging and non-EU subscribers don’t, but the operational complexity has to clear a bar.

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Apple’s Core Technology Fee (CTF) — note

Apple’s response to the DMA included the introduction of a Core Technology Fee for apps distributed via alternative methods or using alternative billing in the EU. The CTF is a per-install fee that can apply on top of (or instead of) the standard Apple commission, depending on configuration. The CTF is structured to make alternative-billing economics complicated for apps with very high download volumes. It does not apply to web-billed subscriptions — only to alternative billing happening inside an app distributed via the App Store. Migration to web is outside the CTF’s scope. If you’re considering both web migration and an in-app DMA-billing path, the CTF tradeoffs are worth modeling explicitly. The framework can help with the calculation.

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What the framework needs from you

Same as elsewhere — coordinate any EU-specific in-app messaging or DMA-billing decisions with the framework before they ship. The framework treats the EU as a regular geo bucket in cohort selection; nothing about the audit changes for EU-heavy apps unless you opt into a hybrid in-app model. Integration overview →