- Apple has proposed a 15% commission on standard purchases made through external links in iPhone and iPad apps.
- Small business developers would pay 5%, while selected Apple partner programs and subscription renewals would face a 10% rate.
- The proposal follows the Supreme Court’s decision not to pause the lower court proceedings involving Apple’s App Store payment rules.
- Apple says its fees help recover the cost of maintaining its software ecosystem and points to Google’s external payment rates as a comparison.
Apple is proposing a new commission structure for purchases made through external links in iPhone and iPad apps, with the standard rate set at 15%.
The proposal comes as Apple continues its long running legal fight with Epic Games over the rules governing App Store payments. The company submitted its latest proposal to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California after the Supreme Court declined to pause proceedings in the lower court.
The move gives developers a clearer picture of what Apple wants to charge when customers leave an app to complete a purchase elsewhere.
Apple wants 15% from standard apps
Under the proposed structure, developers using external links to direct customers to payment options outside the App Store would generally pay Apple a 15% commission.
That figure is notably lower than the 27% commission Apple previously introduced for certain purchases made through external links. The earlier system became a major point of contention in the legal dispute surrounding Apple’s App Store policies.
Apple is now presenting the 15% rate as part of a broader commission structure that takes different types of developers and transactions into account.
Small business developers would receive a significantly lower rate of 5%. Developers participating in Apple’s Video Partner Program, News Partner Program or Mini Apps Partner Program would pay 10%.
Subscription renewals would also be subject to a 10% commission under the proposal.
For developers, that creates a more complicated system than simply applying one fee to every external transaction. The amount Apple receives would depend on the developer’s status and the type of purchase involved.
The proposal follows a Supreme Court setback
Apple had been trying to delay proceedings in the lower court while it waited for the Supreme Court to consider another part of the dispute.
The company wanted the court to hold off on requiring it to provide its proposed commission structure while the Supreme Court considered whether Apple had violated an existing court order.
The dispute centres on Apple’s decision to introduce a 27% commission on purchases made through external links, along with restrictions governing how developers could show those links inside their apps.
The Supreme Court rejected Apple’s request to pause the lower court proceedings on Thursday. That left Apple with little choice but to submit its proposed rates.
The latest filing therefore represents more than a routine pricing update. It is part of a much larger legal battle over how Apple controls payments on its platforms and how much money it can collect from transactions that do not technically take place through the App Store.
Apple says the fee pays for its ecosystem
Apple’s argument is that it should be allowed to collect a commission even when a customer completes a purchase outside the App Store.
The company says its fee helps recover the costs associated with the technology, tools and services that support its software ecosystem. From Apple’s perspective, developers benefit from the infrastructure surrounding its devices even when the final payment happens through an external website.
That argument is central to the company’s position as regulators and courts continue to examine App Store economics.
Apple also pointed to Google’s approach as a comparison. According to Apple’s filing, Google Play charges a 20% rate for standard apps using external payment links, while certain special programs receive a 15% rate. Subscription renewals are charged at 10%.
Apple highlighted those figures in its filing, noting that Epic Games had agreed to Google’s rates.
For developers, however, the key question is not simply whether Apple’s proposed 15% fee is lower than the previous 27% rate. The bigger issue is whether Apple should be entitled to collect a commission on these transactions at all.
What the proposal means for developers
If Apple’s proposed structure is accepted, developers would have a clearer route for offering external purchasing options while still paying Apple a percentage of the resulting revenue.
The lower rates could be particularly important for smaller companies. A 5% commission would be considerably less expensive than the standard 15% rate and could make external payment options more attractive for businesses operating on tighter margins.
The 10% rate for selected partner programs and subscription renewals could also reduce costs for certain categories of apps.
However, the proposal does not settle the wider dispute. The court still has to determine how Apple’s commission system should work and whether the company can impose the conditions it has proposed.
The outcome could have a significant impact on the economics of the App Store. A lower external purchase commission could give developers more incentive to offer payment options outside Apple’s system, while Apple would still retain a portion of the revenue generated through transactions originating from its devices.
For users, the impact may be less obvious at first. Developers could choose to pass lower payment processing costs on to customers, keep prices unchanged or use the savings to invest in their services. The final effect will depend on how the court rules and how developers respond to the new structure.
For now, Apple’s 15% proposal marks another important stage in one of the technology industry’s biggest battles over app store fees, developer freedom and control over digital payments.
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