Apple settlement lets app makers advertise outside payments

Apple Inc. settled a wide-ranging class action lawsuit with U.S. app makers Thursday, announcing changes to the App Store such as giving developers more flexibility to advertise outside payment methods. 

The settlement will include $100 million worth of payments to app makers ranging from $250 to $30,000 per developer, according to law firm Hagens Berman, which represented plaintiffs who claimed Apple overcharged them fees required for distributing their programs through the iOS App Store. The new advertising policy, meanwhile, will make it easier for developers to promote alternative pricing plans and ways to pay -- without Apple taking a cut.