Apple has reportedly proposed a tiered commission on US App Store purchases that happen after a customer taps a link out of an app to pay on the web, according to court filings described in reports this week. The reported rates run as high as 15 percent, with lower tiers for specific programs, submitted in the long-running Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc. case. Mac Observer could not open the underlying court filing to confirm the exact wording, so every figure in this article is reported, not confirmed.
The filing, reportedly submitted August 13, 2026, would end the current gap in the case: Apple’s court-ordered injunction lets developers link customers out to an external payment page, but no commission rate on what customers spend once they leave the app has ever been set. That gap is why Apple went back to the district court with a proposed number rather than waiting for a rate to be imposed on it.
Key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Case | Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc. |
| Case number | 4:20-cv-05640, N.D. Cal. (reported) |
| Judge | Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers |
| Apple’s filing date | Reportedly August 13, 2026 |
| What Apple reportedly proposed | A tiered commission on US external link-out purchases |
| Confirmation status | Reported only; Mac Observer could not open the docket to verify wording |
What Apple reportedly proposed to the court
According to reports on the filing, Apple’s remand proposal sets out three tiers rather than one flat rate. A standard 15 percent would apply to most apps using external purchase links. A reduced 10 percent would apply to Apple’s Video Partner, News Partner and Mini Apps Partner programs, and to subscription renewals. A further reduced 5 percent would apply to apps enrolled in Apple’s Small Business Program. None of this is a ruling. It is Apple’s own opening position in a filing that Epic Games has not yet, as far as Mac Observer could find, publicly answered.
Don’t miss the best of The Mac Observer
Set us as a preferred source and our Apple reporting ranks higher in your Google Search results and Discover feed — one tap, no account changes.
The three reported commission tiers
| Tier | Reported rate | Reported scope |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 15% | Most apps using external purchase links |
| Reduced | 10% | Video Partner, News Partner and Mini Apps Partner programs; subscription renewals |
| Small Business | 5% | Apps enrolled in Apple’s Small Business Program |
How the case returned to Judge Gonzalez Rogers
Apple’s proposal follows an order from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that, according to reports, let Apple argue for some commission on link-out purchases after all, so long as any rate is limited to costs “genuinely and reasonably necessary” for Apple to coordinate with developers on outside links. Mac Observer could not open the appellate opinion itself to check that quotation, so it is presented here as reported language, not a verified quote. The Ninth Circuit’s order sent the actual rate question back down to Judge Gonzalez Rogers, the same judge who has overseen the case in the Northern District of California since Epic first sued in 2020, which is why Apple’s August filing landed on her docket rather than a fresh one.
A familiar number: 15 percent is also Apple’s EU rate
Apple’s own EU terms, taking effect October 1, set a standard Store Services Commission of 15 percent on link-out purchases made within seven days of the tap, with a 10 percent reduced rate for the same partner programs named in the US proposal. The US filing and the EU rate card were not written together and apply in different legal systems, but the headline number lines up. Coverage of Apple’s September 9 product event did not touch on either figure, since both are ongoing legal and regulatory matters rather than product announcements.
What Epic and developers have said
Mac Observer found no public response from Epic Games to Apple’s reported proposal, and no hearing date set for the commission question specifically. That question is separate from the Supreme Court case between the same two companies, which concerns whether Apple’s earlier conduct was in contempt of the original injunction, not what commission Apple may charge going forward. Apple’s opening merits brief in that Supreme Court case is due the same week, on Monday, September 14, 2026, but it does not address the link-out commission proposal described here.
What has not been confirmed
Every rate in this article, the August 13 filing date, and the quoted Ninth Circuit standard are reported, not read directly by Mac Observer from the docket. Apple has not commented on the proposal outside the filing itself, has not said when it expects a ruling, and has not confirmed the tiers publicly on any Apple-run page. No commission on US link-out purchases exists today. Whatever Apple proposed remains a request until Judge Gonzalez Rogers rules on it.
Developers weighing whether to add external payment links to an app tied to iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone Duo have no US commission rate to plan around yet. The next concrete date on Apple’s legal calendar is the Supreme Court brief due Monday, September 14, 2026, the same day iOS 27 ships; a ruling on the commission proposal itself has no scheduled date.
