From Yahoo Finance: 2025-05-01 13:47:00

A US judge ordered Apple to immediately decrease its App Store fees and investigate alleged misconduct, potentially impacting billions in revenue. The judge accused Apple of disregarding a prior order in an antitrust case. Apple must now allow developers to direct customers to off-app purchases without additional fees. This could disrupt a major revenue stream for Apple, as the App Store generates an estimated $100 billion annually. The legal battle began in 2020 when Epic Games challenged Apple over App Store rules. Gonzalez Rogers ruled in Epic’s favor, requiring Apple to allow developers to include links for off-app purchases. Despite appeals, the court upheld the injunction. Apple made changes to its App Store rules but Epic argued they did not comply with the order. The court found Apple maintained its 30% commission for in-app purchases and introduced a 27% commission for off-app purchases, along with a “scare screen” to deter customers from leaving the App Store. The judge criticized Apple for attempting to maintain its anticompetitive revenue stream and impose new barriers for developers.



Read more at Yahoo Finance: Judge says CEO Tim Cook ‘chose poorly’ as Apple ignored App Store order