Apple has offered a commission of up to 15% for purchases made through external links in iOS apps
Apple has filed a proposal with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California regarding commissions on purchases made through external links in iOS apps. For standard apps, the company proposes setting the rate at 15%, according to TechCrunch.
Under the proposed structure, small business developers would pay 5% of payments. For participants in the Video Partner Program, News Partner Program, and Mini Apps Partner Program, the commission would be 10%. Apple proposes applying the same 10% rate to subscription renewals.
The filing is related to Apple’s long-running legal dispute with Epic Games over the company’s allegedly anti-competitive policies regarding App Store commissions. Apple had previously attempted to delay consideration of the new commission structure in a lower court.
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The company argued that the proceedings should be suspended pending a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on another part of the case. That part of the case concerns whether Apple was in contempt of court after introducing a 27% commission on purchases made via external links and restrictions on how such links are presented to users.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Apple’s motion to stay further proceedings in the lower court case, after which the company filed its proposal. Apple believes it can charge a fee on in-app purchases made by users of its devices to offset its investments in the tools, technologies, and services needed to support the App Store and its software.
Apple also compared its proposed commission rates to those of Google Play: 20% for standard apps, 15% for apps in special programs, and 10% for subscription renewals. The company noted that Epic Games had agreed to these Google rates.
