Apple's US App Store Commission Revenue Down 18% This Year - MacRumors
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Apple's US App Store Commission Revenue Down 18% This Year

The commission Apple earns from the App Store is shrinking in markets where it has been forced to relax its grip on in-app purchases, based on new analytics data.

Liquid Glass App Store Feature
According to Appfigures, cited by the Financial Times ($), Apple's U.S. commission revenue has fallen 18 percent since the start of 2026. It also found App Store revenue declining in Brazil and Japan since both countries introduced new regulations.

Separately, Sensor Tower said U.S. consumer spending through the App Store was down 6 percent in the second quarter, compared to 9 percent growth a year earlier.

The figures follow Apple's admission during last month's earnings call that regulatory changes have started to weigh on its Services growth. Apple reported services revenue of $30.7 billion for the June quarter, a record for the period but short of the $31.4 billion that analysts expected.

Apple traditionally has taken 15 to 30 percent of digital purchases made inside apps on the App Store. However, a U.S. injunction won by Epic Games now forces the company to let developers steer users to outside payment options without taking a cut. Sensor Tower said the U.S. slowdown had been heavily affected by the ruling. Apple has not collected fees from link-outs in the U.S. since April 2025.

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Top Rated Comments

Plutonius Avatar
3 hours ago at 05:07 am

I hope after they lose they have to pay developers back billions and billions they stole for this internet tax
I still don't understand how this is stealing if the developers agreed to the price structure ?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2 hours ago at 06:02 am

What alternative did I have? My option was to sell my app via Apple or not at all.
Sell on Android, larger global marketshare.


I, like most others, subsequently chose not at all.
That's just proving free market is still working.

It's why the Apple Watch and Apple TV have almost no app library compared to iOS - after Apple burned everyone on the iOS App Store, nobody put the effort into making apps for any other Apple platform.
Have you tried gaming on the Watch?

Just how exactly do you expect one to play candy crush or freemium games on a watch?

TV - games do exist but people already have consoles if they really want to game. They boot Apple TV if they want to watch something.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrono1081 Avatar
3 hours ago at 05:43 am

I hope after they lose they have to pay developers back billions and billions they stole for this internet tax
Developer here, this is not what happened. Too many people think that these app stores are free to run and they're not and can't get over the fact a fee is needed to keep things afloat.

Think of the App Store like a mall, you pay a fee to be in the mall, except the App Store also gives you payment processing, tax information, app analytics, refund handling, etc all bundled with that fee.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tridley68 Avatar
3 hours ago at 05:28 am
Keep raising prices and see how much more revenue you loose because of greed Apple .
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3 hours ago at 05:23 am

They'll never volunteer that, and no developer will risk suing Apple and losing access to the app store.
Well...except Epic. Which is why as much as I personally don't really care for Tim Sweeney, someone eventually had to bring this issue up.

Personally I don't care about their commissions on IAP in games, they should be allowed to take whatever they want of that.

It's their chokehold on useful software distribution and the fact that they not only have to approve the app's safety and functionality (at which they frequently fail) but also whether they want to allow it at all for anticompetitive reasons.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3 hours ago at 05:03 am

no developer will risk suing Apple and losing access to the app store.
Tim Sweeney: "Hold my beer."
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)