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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.

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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 weeks ago

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: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrono1081 Avatar
3 weeks ago

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: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
3 weeks ago

I still don't understand how this is stealing if the developers agreed to the price structure ?
What alternative did I have? My option was to sell my app via Apple or not at all.

I, like most others, subsequently chose not at all. 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.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
red barchetta Avatar
3 weeks ago

I still don't understand how this is stealing if the developers agreed to the price structure ?
The word "agreed" is doing a lot of work here--emphasis on greed. I think this more like extortion. The developer community is integral to apple's longterm health and positive branding. I think it would behoove the company to lower the pay-to-play fees.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hajj.david Avatar
3 weeks ago

Who's infrastructure did those developers use?
Whose infrastructure were those developers FORCED to use. With a mac I can use my own infastructure to push apps to my users. On iOS I dont have a choice, I HAVE TO use Apple's app store.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
3 weeks ago
IMO, it was fine for Apple to charge higher commissions when the App Store was just beginning and was the only option. It was an experiment and no one was sure how it would play out. But as it became more established and there was more competition (mainly from Google), Apple should have gradually lowered its commissions. If they had, they probably wouldn’t be in this current mess.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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