Apple ceded ground to App Store developers, plotting to give them more power to challenge guidelines following a high-profile spat with third-party email app developer Basecamp.

While developers already have the option to appeal Apple’s decisions about whether a service violates its marketplace guidelines, the company said it will soon provide a new mechanism for them to challenge whether those rules should stand.

Additionally, it said it will no longer delay bug fixes for apps already in the App Store when there is a dispute over violations, except when there are “legal issues” involved.

Instead, it said developers will be permitted to address the issue in their next update.

Both changes will be implemented in the coming months.

Apple was recently widely criticised for halting updates to Basecamp’s Hey email app after claiming the company breached App Store rules by not offering an in-app purchase option.

Basecamp argued such a move would force it to share 30 per cent of subscription revenue with Apple.

Apple subsequently approved Hey’s bug fixes after Basecamp agreed to offer a sign-up option for a new free tier of service within the app.

The European Commission earlier this month launched a probe to determine whether Apple’s rules mandating the use of its in-app purchase system disadvantaged competitors.