Apple’s App Store commission revenue drops 18% amid legal challenges

Apple’s US App Store commission revenue has fallen 18% year-to-date in 2026, according to data from analytics firm Appfigures. The culprit isn’t a sudden drop in app downloads or consumer spending. It’s a courtroom in Northern California. The decline traces directly back to the Epic Games v. Apple saga, a legal battle that has slowly but steadily chipped away at the commission structure Apple has defended for over a decade. A federal judge’s ruling in April 2025 found that Apple had willfully violated prior injunctions, banning the company from collecting commissions on purchases made through external payment links in the US. That single decision is now showing up in Apple’s bottom line. How Epic Games rewired the App Store economy The dispute started in 2020 when Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, challenged Apple’s requirement that all in-app purchases flow through Apple’s payment system, where the company collected a 30% commission. The April 2025 decision eliminated Apple’s ability to charge any commission on transactions that happen outside the App Store via external payment links. Apple had previously attempted to comply with earlier rulings by adjusting its commission to 27%...