A federal appeals court’s ruling already requires Apple to let App Store developers in the United States link customers out of an app to finish a purchase on the web. What that same ruling left open is whether Apple may charge a commission on those purchases at all, and if so, how much. As of this week, no percentage exists in either Apple’s own published materials or in the court record reviewed for this article.
The gap sits inside the Ninth Circuit’s ruling in the underlying Epic Games dispute with Apple, which affirmed that Apple must allow message screens describing outside purchase options and dynamic links to an external checkout page. The same ruling held that a total ban on commissions and on link restrictions was overbroad, meaning Apple can likely charge something for this route. It has simply not been told what that something is, and no rate proposal from Apple appears in the material reviewed here. The litigation history behind that ruling, including the case’s current path toward the Supreme Court, is its own story, separate from this month’s product announcements; this article is only about the price tag that is still missing.
Key facts
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| What the ruling requires | Message screens and direct links to an outside checkout, in the US |
| What the ruling does not set | A commission rate for purchases completed through those links |
| What the appeals court held | A total ban on commission and on link restrictions is overbroad |
| What the appeals court did not do | Suggest a rate of its own |
| Who decides the rate | The district court, on a remand proceeding |
Why a marketplace this size has an unpriced transaction type
The App Store processes an enormous volume of commerce by Apple’s own account: developer billings and sales reached $1.3 trillion in 2024, according to the services recap Apple published in January 2026. Every purchase completed inside an app, through Apple’s own in-app purchase system, carries a commission a developer can look up in advance. The one purchase type reviewed here that does not is a US purchase that starts with a tap on a link out of an app. That leaves a developer weighing this option with no way to calculate its true cost against the routes that do carry a published number.
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What is settled, and what is still moving
| Mechanism | Status |
|---|---|
| Message screens about outside purchase options | Allowed, per the appeals court’s ruling |
| Dynamic links to an external purchase page | Allowed, per the same ruling |
| Total ban on commission or link restrictions | Held overbroad, no longer in force |
| Commission rate on link-out purchases | Undecided, pending the district court’s remand |
The rate question sits with the district court on remand from the Ninth Circuit’s decision. No public docket reviewed here sets a date for that ruling. Apple’s own developer guidance, as reviewed for this article, has not been updated to state a rate, and Apple has not said whether it intends to propose one before the district court decides the matter.
What this means for a developer weighing the option
A developer building for iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone Duo today has the mechanism available in the US, but not a number to plug into a spreadsheet. That is unusual for Apple’s App Store business, where nearly every other route to a customer carries a rate a developer can cite before building anything. Nothing here should be read as guidance on what a developer will eventually owe; it is only a description of what has and has not been decided as of this week.
What Apple has not said
- Any commission rate it would apply, or propose, for a link-out purchase completed in the US.
- A date by which the district court’s remand decision is expected.
- Whether an eventual rate would apply only going forward, or to link-out purchases already completed.
- Whether the same open question applies to purchases made outside the United States.
As of September 12, 2026, developers building for iOS 27, which ships as a free update Monday, have a link-out option available in the US with no attached commission figure and no published timeline for when one arrives.