Apple Wants a Cut of App Purchases Made Outside the App Store
Apple has filed a proposal with the court overseeing its antitrust battle with Epic Games, asking for permission to charge developers a fee even when purchases happen through external links that bypass Apple's in-app payment system.
This comes after a California judge ruled in April 2025 that Apple had willfully defied a 2021 injunction requiring it to let developers direct users to outside payment options without penalty. That ruling currently bars Apple from taking any commission on those external transactions. Apple is now testing how much room it has under a related Ninth Circuit appeals ruling to reintroduce some form of fee.
Epic has already pushed back, calling Apple's request well outside what the courts have authorized, setting up another round of legal sparring over App Store economics.