Apple and Epic argue over how much Apple should get from purchases made outside the App Store

Aug 14, 2026 06:13 AM - 1 hour ago 1

Jay Peters

is a elder newsman covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge successful 2019 aft astir 2 years astatine Techmeme.

In a caller filing successful its long-running ineligible conflict pinch Epic Games, Apple has proposed a structure that would let it to cod fees connected integer purchases made via outer links that don’t usage the company’s in-app acquisition system. Epic has already responded, saying that Apple’s petition is “far extracurricular of the bounds” of the court’s guidance.

Right now, Apple cannot return a committee connected outer purchases aft California territory tribunal judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled successful April 2025 that recovered the institution “willfully” didn’t comply pinch her 2021 Epic Games v. Apple injunction. However, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sheet said that Apple should beryllium capable to complaint a committee based connected “necessary costs,” and Apple shared its connection for fees successful Thursday’s filing. (The Supreme Court has besides said it will perceive arguments astir whether Apple willfully violated the April 2025 ruling.)

Under Apple’s proposal, it would collect:

15 percent of fees from purchases successful “standard apps”
10 percent of fees for apps successful the Video Partner Program, the News Partner Program, the Mini Apps Partner Program, and subscription renewals
5 percent of fees from apps successful the Small Business Program

However, Apple says its “necessary costs” to let outer purchases, arsenic defined by the Ninth Circuit, “would beryllium fundamentally zero.” The institution argues that, based connected an “expert analysis,” astatine the projected rates, “it appears that ample numbers of U.S. developers collectively accounting for the lion’s stock of App Store gross will beryllium capable to nexus retired profitably.” Apple besides says the rates would fto it recoup “at slightest immoderate compensation” for its tools, technologies, and services it provides to developers.

Here’s Epic’s statement successful reply to the filing:

Apple’s filing is in, and Apple admitted that nether the Ninth Circuit’s meaning of “necessary costs” they would complaint 0% for purchases made via linkouts to the web.

Apple projected linkout fees of 15% for modular apps and 5% for Small Business Program apps. Epic believes these fees are acold extracurricular of the bounds of the Ninth Circuit’s guidance connected permissible fees, and we person astir 60 days to record our guidance supported by master witnesses.

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