Apple proposes 5 to 15 percent fee for external App Store payments

Apple has asked a U.S. court to let it charge developers a fee of up to 15 percent on sales made through external payment systems, rather than the 30 percent commission it normally takes from App Store transactions. The request comes amid the antitrust case that began in 2020 after Epic Games tried to bypass Apple’s payment system. The court is now deciding what a fair commission should be for purchases that do not use Apple’s in‑app billing.

The dispute has been a long one. In 2021 Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered Apple to allow developers to link to outside payment methods, so they would not have to pay the 30 percent cut. Apple, however, continued to take a 12‑27 percent fee from those external sales, leading Epic to accuse the company of non‑compliance. Last year the judge found Apple in contempt and told it to stop collecting any fee on external payments. When Apple appealed, the appellate court overturned that part of the order, but left the question of a permissible fee open. Now the judge must weigh Apple’s proposal against the court’s earlier rulings.

Apple’s proposal breaks the fee into three tiers. It would keep 15 percent on apps that normally pay 30 percent to Apple, 10 percent on apps in its News Partner, Video Partner and Mini Apps Partner programs, and 5 percent on apps in the Small Business Program. The Small Business Program covers most developers, who have paid 15 percent on App Store purchases since 2020. The company argues that the lower rates reflect the reduced cost of handling payments outside its system, while still covering the infrastructure it provides.

Google has faced a similar fight with Epic. After years of legal wrangling, Google opened the Play Store to external billing on June 30 and cut its commission to 10 percent regardless of payment method. In July it allowed third‑party app stores on Android, but a judge found the installation process too complicated and ordered Google to remove the “anticompetitive friction.” The two cases show a broader push to reduce the 30 percent cut that has long been a hallmark of Apple’s and Google’s platforms. The outcome could reshape how developers pay for in‑app purchases and how the major tech firms generate revenue from app sales.