Apple and Epic are fighting again over App Store fees — here's what's at stake
The App Store commission fight between Apple and Epic Games is back in the headlines with the latest chapter in a years-long legal battle. This time, the dispute centres on a new set of rules governing whether developers can sell digital goods through links outside the app, bypassing Apple's payment system entirely.
The case traces back to Epic Games' 2020 lawsuit challenging Apple's commission policy in Fortnite. California district court judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in April 2025 that Apple had "willfully" failed to comply with her earlier 2021 injunction, and clarified that the company could not collect commissions on sales made through external links.
Apple appealed that decision, sending the case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. An appellate panel offered some guidance on how to interpret the lower court's ruling — but how exactly that guidance should be read has now become the subject of a fresh dispute.
Apple's latest filing proposes a new structure that would let it collect fees on sales made through those external links. The company's argument is that the appeals court's guidance permits this kind of fee structure. Epic Games strongly disputes that reading, arguing that Apple's request goes "far outside of the bounds" the court has set.
At the heart of this disagreement is a fundamental question about how the App Store economy will function going forward. If Apple can collect a commission even on sales made through external links, much of the cost advantage developers hoped to gain by bypassing Apple's payment system could effectively disappear — which directly affects how meaningful the original court ruling turns out to be in practice.
This case extends well beyond a dispute between Apple and Epic; it's part of a broader global movement. The European Union's Digital Markets Act and similar regulations aim to limit big tech platforms' control over app stores, and cases like this one in US courts represent a similar dynamic playing out through litigation rather than legislation.
For developers, the outcome of this case carries direct financial consequences. Apple's commission rates — typically ranging from 15% to 30% — have long been among the most criticised aspects of the App Store among developers. Whether the external-link option ends up being genuinely "fee-free" could directly shape the business models of small and mid-sized developers.
For its part, Apple continues to argue that the App Store represents a significant infrastructure investment in security, privacy, and platform integrity, and that these services come at a cost. The company contends that its commissions cover more than just payment processing — including developer tools, security reviews, and other platform-wide services.
Ultimately, this latest legal move is just one part of a larger struggle that will shape the App Store's future. How the court resolves this dispute won't just affect Epic and Apple — it will directly shape the economics millions of developers and the broader app economy operate under worldwide.
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