Apple proposes 15% fee for purchases outside App Store

After the Supreme Court refused a delay, Apple told a U.S. court it wants commissions on purchases made through external links in iOS apps.

Apple has filed a proposal setting out the commissions it wants to charge on purchases made through external links inside iOS apps. The move could shape how developers steer users to pay outside the App Store, a long-running flashpoint in Apple’s dispute with Epic Games.

The filing landed after Apple failed to delay the matter and after the Supreme Court rejected its request to pause the lower-court proceedings. As IT-PUB News reports, that left the company needing to spell out the fee structure it now wants the court to accept.

Apple sets proposed commissions for link-out purchases

In a filing submitted Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, Apple proposed a 15% commission for standard apps on purchases made through external links.

The company also laid out lower rates for developers in certain Apple programs. Small business developers would pay 5%, while apps in the Video Partner Program, News Partner Program, and Mini Apps Partner Program would be charged 10%. Subscription renewals would also carry a 10% commission, according to the filing.

This is not a broader App Store pricing change for every transaction. The proposal applies to purchases made through links that send users outside the app — a narrow but important part of the wider fight over how Apple can charge for transactions tied to its platform.

The Epic Games case forced Apple to show its hand

Apple’s proposal is tied to its years-long legal battle with Epic Games over App Store commissions and what Epic has described as anti-competitive policies. Apple had been trying to avoid answering the court’s request on this part of its commission structure, at least for now.

The company argued that the lower-court proceedings should wait until the Supreme Court ruled on another issue in the same case. That issue was whether Apple was in contempt of a court order after it introduced a 27% commission on purchases made through external links and added rules limiting how developers could present those links to customers.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected Apple’s attempt to pause the matter. That forced the company to put its proposed fee structure on the record.

Apple says the fees reflect the cost of its platform

Apple’s position is that it should be allowed to charge fees on in-app purchases made by users of its devices because it has invested in the tools, technology, and services that support the App Store and its software.

That claim sits at the center of the dispute. Apple frames the fees as a way to recover platform costs, while critics in the case have challenged how much control the company should have over the way developers reach users and handle payments.

The new filing makes clear that Apple is still trying to preserve a commission model even when a payment begins with an external link rather than through the App Store itself.

Apple compares its proposal with Google Play

In the filing, Apple also pointed to Google Play’s rates as a comparison. According to Apple, Google Play charges 20% for standard apps, 15% for apps in special programs, and 10% for subscription renewals.

Apple also said Epic Games had agreed to those Google Play rates. The comparison appears intended to support Apple’s argument that its own proposed commissions are in line with other major app platforms, at least from Apple’s perspective.

For developers, those percentages are more than legal detail. They directly affect how much revenue remains after a user follows a link to buy something outside the app. For Apple, the question is how far its control over the iPhone software environment can extend when the payment itself happens outside the App Store checkout flow.

Why the proposed fees matter beyond the courtroom

The case is drawing attention because it touches one of the most sensitive questions in the app economy: who gets paid when users buy digital goods or subscriptions. Even when a transaction happens outside the App Store, Apple is still seeking a cut, and that is the point still driving the dispute.

The outcome could shape how developers build payment flows and promotions inside apps on iPhones and other iOS devices. It could also matter for businesses that depend on app-based sales, since the commission level can affect pricing, margins, and how easily customers are directed to outside payment pages.

For now, Apple has proposed a fee structure — nothing more. But the filing makes one thing clear: the fight over whether Apple can collect commissions beyond the App Store’s own checkout system is far from over.