Apple has asked a US court to let it charge developers a tiered commission of up to 15% on purchases completed outside the App Store, replacing the 27% fee that Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers blocked in spring 2025. The filing marks the latest move in the long-running legal battle between Apple and Epic Games over iOS payment rules.

The proposal, submitted as a formal statement to the court, sets out three rates:

• 15% on purchases in "standard apps";
• 10% on purchases in apps from certain affiliate programs and on subscription renewals;
• 5% on purchases in apps from developers earning under $1 million annually.

For context, the standard in-app purchase commission inside the App Store remains 30% — a rate Apple has said it does not intend to change.

Why did Apple have to change its fee?

A 2024 court ruling forced Apple to allow developers to redirect US users to payment flows outside the App Store. Apple responded by imposing a 27% fee on those external transactions, framing it as compensation for its platform costs. Judge Gonzalez Rogers rejected that arrangement in spring 2025 and barred Apple from taking any cut of purchases made outside the store.

Apple is now trying to claw back part of that revenue. In its filing, the company said the new, lower rates would provide "at least some compensation" for the tools, technologies and services it provides to developers.

For studios, the stakes are direct: any fee on external payments shrinks the margin advantage of steering players away from Apple's in-app purchase system. A 15% rate would still halve the cost of the standard 30% commission, while small developers under the $1 million threshold would face a 5% fee — versus the 15% they pay under the App Store Small Business Program.

What does Epic Games say?

Epic Games has already pushed back. The company said Apple's proposed structure falls "far outside of the bounds of the Ninth Circuit's guidance on permissible fees." Epic plans to file an official objection within 60 days, supported by expert commentary.

That objection will likely shape the next phase of the dispute. Judge Gonzalez Rogers, who has previously shown willingness to reject fee structures she views as undermining the court's orders, will weigh Apple's proposal against the appellate guidance on what constitutes a permissible charge.

What changes for developers right now?

Nothing immediately. The tiered rates remain a request, not a policy. US developers can currently process external payments without paying Apple any commission, per the spring 2025 ruling. If the court approves Apple's structure, teams running subscription businesses or high-volume external checkout flows would need to factor a 5–15% platform cost back into their unit economics.

The 60-day window for Epic's objection is the next date to watch.