Apple proposes 5-15% cut on external App Store payments

Apple has asked a federal court to allow it to charge a commission of 5 to 15 percent on purchases made outside its App Store payment system in the United States. The proposal, submitted in the company's long-running antitrust dispute with Epic Games, was reported on August 14, 2026, by 9to5Mac and MacRumors.

The proposed rates vary by developer category. Apps that currently pay Apple a 30 percent cut for in-app purchases would face a 15 percent commission on external payments. A 10 percent rate would apply to apps in Apple's News Partner Program, Video Partner Program, and Mini Apps Partner Program, as well as to subscription renewals. Developers in the Small Business Program, who have paid a 15 percent commission on App Store billing since 2020, would pay 5 percent on external transactions. Apple says the "vast majority" of developers qualify for the Small Business Program.

The dispute began in 2020 when Epic Games sued Apple over its App Store practices. In 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered Apple to let developers link to external payment systems to avoid the 30 percent commission. Apple then charged 12 to 27 percent on those transactions, prompting Epic to accuse it of non-compliance. Last year, the judge held Apple in contempt and ordered it to stop collecting fees on external payments entirely. An appeals court upheld the contempt ruling but overturned the fee prohibition, leaving Judge Gonzalez Rogers to determine a fair commission.

Google, which faces a parallel lawsuit from Epic, opened the Play store to external billing on June 30, 2026, and lowered its commission to 10 percent regardless of payment method. In July, Google began allowing third-party app stores on Android. According to The Verge, the two sides recently returned to court, where Epic argued that installing rival app stores on Android requires too many steps. The judge ordered Google to remove what she called "anticompetitive friction."