Overview
- Apple told an appeals court it will petition the U.S. Supreme Court to review a contempt ruling over its App Store fees and asked to pause enforcement while it files.
- The Ninth Circuit in December 2025 said Apple’s 27% charge on web-linked purchases undercut the 2021 order allowing external payment links and sent the question of a proper fee back to the trial judge.
- Apple’s filing argues the appeals court relied on the “spirit” rather than the text of the injunction, disputes that the remedy can cover all U.S. developers, and says any commission pays for hosting, discovery, and developer tools.
- Epic Games opposes a pause and calls Apple’s charges junk fees, saying the uncertainty keeps many developers from steering users to cheaper web payments.
- If a stay is denied and the Supreme Court declines review, the district court will set a new commission rate, a decision that could reshape developer costs and follows Google’s separate move to lower some Play Store fees to 20%.