SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Apple ( AAPL ) on

Thursday said it would lower commissions for "mini apps" on

iPhones and other devices.

Apple's ( AAPL ) App Store charges commissions of up to 30% on

digital purchases. Under the program announced Thursday, that

rate will come down to 15% for developers of mini apps - often

game titles and other apps that are offered inside a larger

"host app" - if they adopt certain Apple ( AAPL ) technologies such as

its method for declaring an age range of the user.

Mini apps are most common in China, where popular apps like

Tencent Holdings ( TCTZF ) and Alipay host scores of game titles

or other services inside their primary application. But the

model is also being adopted by U.S. firms, with ChatGPT creator

OpenAI last month saying it will offer mini apps within its

flagship chatbot app.

Under Apple's ( AAPL ) App Store rules, developers of mini apps pay

commissions for digital sales directly to Apple ( AAPL ). How much of a

cut the host app takes remains between the host app and the mini

app.

Apple's ( AAPL ) linking of the lower prices to its age declaration

technology comes as the iPhone maker is in a dispute with states

and tech rivals such as Meta Platforms ( META ) over age

verification on digital platforms.

Multiple U.S. states are pursuing laws that would require

verifying the age of app users, and Meta has said it believes

the best place for that verification to happen is at the level

of the app marketplaces run by Alphabet's Google and

Apple ( AAPL ).

Apple ( AAPL ) has argued that the laws would require it to invade the

privacy of adult users and has proposed an alternative that

would allow app developers to accept an age range that users

declare, which would need to be approved by an adult in the case

of younger users.