Apple is changing its App Store policies in the EU in a last-minute attempt to avoid a series of escalating fines from Brussels. The $3tn iPhone maker will allow developers in the bloc to offer apps designed for the iOS operating system in places other than Apple’s App Store, the company said.

Apple on Thursday changed rules and fees in its App Store in the European Union after the bloc's antitrust regulators ordered it to remove commercial barriers to sending customers outside the store. Apple said developers will pay a 20% processing fee for purchases made via the App Store,

The iPhone maker’s proposal is designed to make it cheaper and less onerous for third-party developers to direct customers away from the Apple ecosystem to make payments elsewhere.