Apple to appeal App Store fee ruling to U.S. Supreme Court

Apple plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review another aspect of its long-running legal dispute over App Store fees with Epic Games. The conflict began in 2020 when Epic Games added external payments—payment methods outside Apple’s proprietary system—to its app, leading to a lawsuit that Apple largely won in 2021. In the interim of its new appeal, Apple sought to pause a federal appeals court’s ruling that limits how it can charge for these external payments. On Monday, April 6, the court granted Apple’s motion to pause the ruling, though Epic Games immediately challenged Apple’s motion.

The current dispute centers on Apple’s 27% commission on external payments, which offers only a slight discount from its usual 30% fee. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California previously found Apple in contempt—a legal finding of disobedience to a court order—ruling that the 27% fee effectively defeated the purpose of allowing external links. The Ninth Circuit Court upheld this contempt decision in December 2025 and denied Apple’s request for a rehearing in March 2026. Now, Apple is expected to challenge the legal standards used to hold it in contempt. By comparison, Google, which faced a similar legal challenge, settled with Epic Games and dropped its Play Store commission to 20%.

Epic Games has strongly opposed Apple’s latest legal maneuvers. Natalie Munoz, a spokesperson for Epic Games, called Apple’s motion to pause the ruling “another delay tactic to prevent the court from establishing significant and permanent bounds on Apple’s ability to charge junk fees on third-party payments.” Munoz added that courts have repeatedly found such fees to be illegal, noting that only a few developers, including Spotify, Kindle, and Patreon, have been willing to utilize external payment options under Apple’s current terms. She stated that Epic Games will continue to oppose Apple’s attempts to undermine competition.

Why it matters

The final resolution of this legal battle could impact how much revenue Apple generates from its App Store. This shift comes at a critical time for platform economics, as consumers increasingly turn to AI chatbots and agents to complete digital tasks rather than traditional app interfaces.