Following companies like Amazon and Spotify, the Delta emulator is the latest iOS app to take advantage of last month's ruling by Epic Games v. Apple judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. Although it has appealed the decision, Apple has complied with the ruling that it can no longer restrict developers from directing users to alternate payment options or collect a 27 percent commission on purchases made outside of apps. As a result, the Delta emulator — which can play games from retro consoles like the N64, NES, Game Boy, and Sega Genesis through emulation — has been updated to make it easier to join its Patreon. This lets users unlock additional features from right within the app without Apple's intimidating scare screens or inflated pricing.
“Delta's latest update with our revised Patreon sign-up flow has been approved! We can now freely mention our Patreon without giving Apple 27% of donations,” Delta developer Riley Testut announced on Mastodon yesterday. When opening the app's settings, users are now prompted to join the developers' Patreon to “Unlock exclusive app icons and receive early access to new features by donating.” Pressing a join button opens a web page within the app where users can select different membership tiers which include features like access to beta versions of the app, or the developers' private Discord.
A previous Delta update released last December allowed users to sign up for Patreon-exclusive membership perks directly through its iOS app following updates to Apple's App Store policies in early 2024. But as a result of Apple's decision to take a 27 percent cut from developers directing users to an outside payment platform, Delta's $3, $5, and $10 Patreon memberships instead cost $10, $15, and $30, respectively, through its iOS app.
That purchase option – with the increased prices – is still available in Delta, according to TechCrunch, but is made less obvious through an Alternate Payment Methods menu in the app's settings.
