Apple proposes to take a 15% cut of purchases made outside the App Store
Apple is asking a federal judge to let it charge commissions of up to 15% on purchases made through external links in iOS apps. The proposal could preserve part of Apple’s App Store monetization outside the store, but the legal outcome remains the key constraint on the revenue read-through.
Apple has proposed charging commissions of up to 15% on purchases made through external links in iOS apps. The request is before a federal judge and concerns purchases completed outside the App Store. It would extend Apple's ability to collect fees beyond transactions processed directly through its marketplace.
The proposal touches Apple's services monetization and the economics of developers that direct users to external payment systems. Apple generated $416.2B in revenue in FY 2025, with a 46.9% gross margin and a 26.9% net margin, so the issue sits against a large and highly profitable business rather than a standalone product line.
If permitted, the commission could help preserve some App Store economics as external purchasing expands. The opposing case is that a court could reject or constrain the fee, leaving Apple with less control over transactions that move outside the App Store. The legal ruling is the next decisive catalyst.
The proposed 15% external-purchase commission preserves a potential services revenue lever for AAPL, but the legal ruling keeps the immediate read mixed.
The proposal creates a potential path for Apple to retain commissions of up to 15% on purchases made outside the App Store, supporting the durability of its services monetization. The trade-off is legal uncertainty: the story reports a request to a federal judge, not an approved fee structure or quantified revenue impact.
A court rejection or tighter limitation on external-link commissions would remove the proposed monetization path and leave the revenue benefit unproven.
CoverageSource: TechCrunch · Published here FRI, AUG 14 · 10:54 AM ET · the only report in this recordHow this is decided →
File photo · Apple Park, Cupertino · Apr 2018 · Daniel L. Lu (dllu) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & licenseEarlier context and later coverage are dated relative to this report. Automatically linked reports may cover a broader event.
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Apple’s $416.2B revenue base and 26.9% net margin provide a strong platform for a 15% external-purchase fee to preserve part of its App Store economics if the court allows it.
The proposal is not yet approved, and an adverse federal-court ruling could prevent Apple from collecting the proposed commission on external purchases.
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