Netflix No Longer Allowing Subscribers to Pay Through Apple's App Store

Netflix subscribers who still pay their monthly fees through the App Store in-app purchase system will soon need to add a new payment method to keep their accounts active, Netflix is telling customers.

Though Netflix stopped allowing customers to subscribe to its streaming service on iOS devices way back in 2018, it has allowed customers that were already subscribed that way to continue using in-app purchase to pay. Payment through Apple's platform is set to stop, however, because Netflix does not want to continue to pay Apple a 15 percent cut of those subscription fees.

As noted by 9to5Mac, the U.S. Netflix support site now says that customers in "some" countries will need to add a new payment method. It isn't clear which countries the new Netflix policy is applicable to, but given that it was added to the U.S. site, it likely applies to customers in the United States.

Some Apple-billed members in select countries may be prompted to add a new payment method to continue their subscription.

There is no word on how many Netflix subscribers are still paying through in-app purchase since it's been nearly six years since Netflix removed the option. Since 2018, Netflix has required customers who have Apple devices to sign up for a new Netflix subscription on the Netflix website. There is no option to subscribe through the Netflix app on the iPhone or iPad, and these devices open to a sign-in screen.

When Netflix first removed the option to pay through the ‌App Store‌, it said customers who paid for subscriptions with in-app purchases could continue to use that billing method until their accounts were canceled, but Netflix seems to have run out of patience.

Update: Netflix has clarified that the changes affect basic plan members in some countries including the US and Canada, and it does not impact all Netflix users.