Apple wants a fee on external App Store purchases again

Apple and Epic Games are again arguing over the economics of purchases made outside Apple’s in-app payment system. As The Verge reported, Apple submitted a new structure that would let it collect fees when iOS users buy digital goods through external links.

What Apple proposed

The current legal situation is unusual. After Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in April 2025 that Apple willfully failed to comply with the 2021 Epic Games injunction, Apple has not been allowed to collect commissions on external purchases. But the Ninth Circuit said Apple may be able to charge a fee tied to “necessary costs,” which is what Apple is now trying to define.

Apple’s proposed rates are:

• 15% for purchases in standard apps.
• 10% for apps in the Video Partner Program, News Partner Program, Mini Apps Partner Program and subscription renewals.
• 5% for apps in the Small Business Program.

The awkward part is that Apple also says the narrowly defined necessary costs for enabling external purchases would be essentially zero. Apple’s argument is broader: it wants compensation for the tools, technologies and services that make the App Store platform useful to developers.

Epic’s response

Epic says the proposal goes far beyond what the court allowed. The company argues that if the Ninth Circuit framework is about necessary costs, then Apple’s own filing undercuts the request for a 15% or 5% link-out fee. Epic says it has roughly 60 days to oppose the proposal with expert testimony.

Impact on developers

For developers, the fight is now less about whether external payment links can exist and more about whether they will be economically meaningful. If Apple can charge a high link-out fee, developers still need to pay their own payment processor, manage refunds, taxes and subscription support, and still give Apple a platform fee. That can make external checkout less attractive than it looks on paper.

The Supreme Court has also agreed to hear arguments related to whether Apple willfully violated the April 2025 ruling, so the final rules may still change. Until then, app developers selling digital goods in the U.S. are planning around a moving target.