FTC sues Apple over App Store payment rules — again
The complaint focuses on Apple's handling of the EU's Digital Markets Act and accuses the company of imposing 'commercially unreasonable' fees on developers using third-party payment providers.
The Federal Trade Commission filed suit against Apple on Tuesday, opening a second antitrust front against the company less than two years after the first DOJ case landed in federal court.
The new complaint, filed in the Northern District of California, focuses on Apple's response to the EU's Digital Markets Act and accuses the company of imposing 'commercially unreasonable' fees on developers who use third-party payment providers — a 27% commission on transactions that route outside the App Store, which the FTC says was structured to make alternatives economically non-viable.
Apple's response
In a statement, Apple called the suit "a fundamental misunderstanding" of how the App Store generates value for developers and customers, and said it would defend itself "vigorously." Shares were down 1.4% in after-hours trading.
What this means for developers
For now: nothing immediately changes. Apple's current fee schedule remains in place. But the case is likely to take 18-24 months to resolve, and a loss — even a partial one — could finally force the App Store toward the open-payments model that Spotify, Epic, and the EU have been pushing for since 2020.