Apple asks judge for permission to charge commissions on in-app purchases made via external links

Apple is asking a federal judge to permit it to charge commissions of up to 15% on some purchases made outside the App Store, specifically when iOS users are directed to complete those transactions through links embedded in other apps, according to a report from Yahoo Finance.

The request centers on how Apple would treat “off-Store” transactions that begin inside an iOS app but are completed through external links. Apple is seeking legal permission for a commission rate that, as described in the report, could be as high as 15%. The filing reflects Apple’s position that it should be able to monetize those transactions rather than losing revenue when commerce shifts away from the App Store’s own payment rails.

The dispute raises a broader question for iOS developers and Apple’s services business: what counts as an App Store transaction when the user initiates the purchase flow in an app but then completes the payment elsewhere. Apple’s proposal, as characterized by Yahoo Finance, would apply a commission model to purchases tied to those external links, implying Apple wants any “workaround” that routes users off the App Store to still fall within a monetizable framework.

Apple’s request also highlights the practical leverage of iOS link behavior. If a developer can include a link in an app that sends the customer to a third-party checkout, the economic value of Apple’s platform could be contested. Apple’s filing, in seeking court approval for a 15% commission on such transactions, suggests the company is trying to set terms that preserve a measure of platform revenue while allowing some form of external purchasing.

For Apple, services revenue has long been an important counterweight to iPhone-cycle uncertainty. The company’s argument, at least as framed in the report, is that it should be compensated when its ecosystem enables or influences consumer transactions, even if the final payment is processed outside the App Store.

The legal backdrop matters because the court has the power to shape what developers can do on iOS and how Apple can enforce its rules. A permitted commission model could affect how app makers design their purchase flows, potentially influencing user experience, developer costs, and the incentives for third-party payment and billing options on Apple devices.