Apple Proposes 15% Fee on External App Payments After Epic Court Loss
Apple has proposed a 15% commission on external purchases made through links in iOS apps following its legal battle with Epic Games. The company also outlined lower rates of 5% for eligible small businesses and 10% for select programmes, including subscriptions, as part of its new App Store fee structure.
Apple has submitted a formal court filing proposing a 15% commission structure on purchases made via external links within iOS applications. The submission follows a legal defeat after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the tech giant's bid to stall lower court proceedings tied to its ongoing antitrust dispute with Epic Games.
Apple Proposes 15 Percent External Purchase Commission
As per the filing submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple outlined tiered commission rates for developers directing users to web-based payment systems outside the App Store. Standard applications would incur a 15% fee, which is half of the standard 30% rate charged for native in-app purchases. Smaller enterprises qualifying for Apple's Small Business Program would face a significantly reduced fee of 5%. Meanwhile, specialised tiers including the Video Partner Program, News Partner Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, and general subscription renewals would be subject to a 10% charge. Oracle Layoffs Anxiety: Employees Worried About Job Cuts as Another Round Expected on September 1, Says Report.
Legal Context and Industry Comparison
The fee schedule disclosure comes in response to judicial orders stemming from the protracted litigation initiated by Fortnite creator Epic Games over digital marketplace rules. Apple argued that the proposed rates are necessary to recover investments in proprietary software development tools, developer technologies, and overarching platform security. SpaceX Acquires AI Coding Platform Cursor in USD 60 Billion Deal to Boost Grok and Expand SpaceXAI Team.
Furthermore, the company referenced competing ecosystems, noting that alternative marketplaces such as the Google Play Store implement comparable external link fees ranging between 10% and 20%. Legal teams representing Epic Games are expected to file formal responses to the proposed pricing framework in the coming weeks.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 14, 2026 09:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
