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Patreon creators will need to make some changes soon, thanks to Apple. On Wednesday, Patreon said Apple has renewed its requirement that all Patreon creators must move to subscription billing. The deadline to do so is November 1, 2026.
Patreon's blog post announcing the change made it clear that it had no other choice. "We strongly disagree with this decision," the company wrote. "Creators need consistency and clarity in order to build healthy, long-term businesses. Instead, creators using legacy billing will now have to endure the whiplash of another policy reversal — the third such change from Apple in the past 18 months."
Up to this point, Patreon's billing model has operated in a gray area, allowing its creators to charge fans outside the App Store without paying Apple's fees. This was because some of the content people were paying for could be consumed in-app, while others couldn't.
But now Apple has reimposed its subscription mandate, eliminating the gray area. "We know that Apple is serious about enforcing this mandate," Patreon wrote. "Late last year, they blocked a Patreon app update and made it clear that in order to remain in the App Store, we have to comply with their billing requirement. Because millions of fans use iOS as their primary way to access Patreon and connect with creators, having our app blocked — or not available in the App Store at all — isn't an option."
Patreon's "whiplash" description isn't hyperbole. Apple first announced the mandate in 2024. At that time, the deadline for all Patreon creators to make the switch was set to November 2025 — one that Patreon grudgingly accepted. But according
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In 2019 Apple TV released its first original television series, and since then has clearly decided to invest in top-shelf science fiction as a defining pillar of its offering. Over the years it's put together an impressive slate. Some shows have been outright successes, and where others have missed, there's at least been a refreshingly grand artistic swing.
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