iPhone and iPad minimum app price increased to 79p

The cheapest price developers can charge for a paid-for app on iOS has been increased to 79p.

It’s only the second time that the baseline app price has been increased following its jump from 59p to 69p back in the summer of 2011.

The price increase puts even more pressure on developers who prefer to charge for games rather than default to the sometimes controversial (but financially hugely successful) free-to-play model.

The minimum price for an app on Google Play is 50p.

Word of the impending increase started to circulate earlier this week, with Apple Insider reporting that a notification was sent to iTunes Connect members on Wednesday warning of imminent increases in all EU territories and Canada.

The site also says that Apple is expected to move to a regional pricing structure across Europe, abandoning the flat Euro rate it has adopted up to now. This move was linked to the currency uncertainties in Russia that previously caused Apple to halt online sales in the region.