Shop Storefront Brief · Issue 3

Brazil CADE deadline Monday. Epic says alt distribution in Brazil is 9 steps — not a new US rate.

2026-08-24 · Fortune Insight, LLC · Operator intel for indie iOS teams. This page covers the Brazil storefront and Epic/CADE process. It is not a new US rate sheet — if you only sell US IAP inside the App Store, Connect rules did not change because of this news.

What happened

Brazil's antitrust agency CADE required Apple to respond by Monday 2026-08-24 to Epic's complaint. Epic publicly claims that installing an app through alternative distribution in Brazil takes 9 steps, while the EU path is about 6 steps — that is Epic's narrative, not an official Connect walkthrough.

Meanwhile, Apple's Brazil developer support pages still state that digital goods transactions completed through alternative app marketplaces or web distribution are subject to 5% CTC (Commission on Transactions Completed). That is not the same worksheet as the US Epic link-out proposal in Issue 2. Do not paste Brazil CTC numbers into US SKU math.

Brazil alternative distribution (from Apple support pages)

Summary of Apple's Brazil distribution documentation. Whether you enable alternative marketplaces in Brazil and how you accept terms is between you, Connect, and Apple's Brazil pages — this note is not legal advice.

Scenario	Key point
App Store + Apple IAP	Current Brazil App Store commission rules apply
Alternative marketplace / web distribution (off-store digital transactions)	5% CTC (per Apple Brazil support pages)
Epic's claimed install flow	Epic says Brazil 9 steps vs EU ~6 steps — see Epic/CADE reporting, not an Apple official step list

What this is not

• Not a new US storefront rate sheet. The US link-out 15% proposal is in Issue 2 — that is Apple's court ask, not a Connect toggle.
• Not the EU 1 Oct unified terms — see the EU fee worksheet in Issue 0.
• If you only sell US IAP inside the App Store: no need to reprice or rebuild checkout this week because of CADE headlines.

Launch pricing snapshot (GetAppNiche prepaid median vs new apps)

GetAppNiche published a prepaid-app pricing median estimate of about $2.99 on 2026-07-16. The table below is observed listing prices this week — snapshots, not revenue or download promises.

App	Observed price
CloudGear	$1.99/mo · $14.99/yr · $39.99 (lifetime tier)
Frankensketch	IAP ~$2.99 (estimate)
Optic Illusion	Free
Stonegate	$7.99 unlock

The median is a reference line, not a guarantee that you should price at $2.99. Paywall design still depends on category, trial strategy, and storefront.

Calendar recap (already covered — not new this issue)

These items appeared in prior issues or Apple announcements. Listed here for cross-check only — not new scoops.

• EU 2026-10-01: Unified EU terms take effect — Issue 0
• US link-out 15% proposal: Epic court filing — Issue 2
• September 2026: social-media questionnaire — Apple Developer News (2026-07-09)
• Korea GRAC (2026-08-12): developer notes for Korea teams — Apple Developer News
• Sonar launch offer: through 31 Aug — Issue 1

What an indie can do this week

• If you only sell US IAP: treat Brazil CADE as background news. Keep your US Connect checklist.
• If you sell digital goods in Brazil or are evaluating alternative marketplaces: read Apple's Brazil support pages. Do not treat Epic's 9-step screenshots as the official flow.
• Pricing: use the GetAppNiche median and competitor listings as reference, but do not claim "we are X% below median" in your description — users do not care about your cost structure.

Sources: 9to5Mac (2026-08-21) · Apple · App distribution in Brazil · Apple · Alternative app marketplace (Brazil) · Apple Developer News