{
  "id": 891289,
  "title": "Apple Wants to Charge Developers Up to 15 Percent for Linking Outside the App Store",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/apple-wants-to-charge-developers-up-to-15-percent-for-linking-outside",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-14T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Slashdot",
    "slug": "slashdot",
    "url": "https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/08/14/0947204/apple-wants-to-charge-developers-up-to-15-percent-for-linking-outside-the-app-store"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Apple is considering implementing a commission of up to 15% for U.S. developers whose users leave the app through external purchase links, with reduced rates of 10% or 5% for specific programs and smaller developers. This proposal comes after years of legal battles with Epic Games and a recent decision that temporarily prohibited Apple from collecting any fees for linking out. A federal judge will now determine the appropriate commission, if any, based on expert analysis and in comparison to Google's link-out rates in the ongoing Epic v. Google case. Apple argues that the fees are lower than those imposed by Google and reflect the value it provides to developers on the App Store platform. However, an appeals court suggested that the commission could be limited to the direct costs of facilitating link-outs, which could result in a fee of zero.",
  "summary": "Apple is proposing to charge U.S. developers up to 15% when users leave an app through an external purchase link, with lower rates of 10% or 5% for certain programs and smaller developers. The proposal follows years of litigation with Epic Games and a contempt ruling that temporarily barred Apple from collecting any link-out fees. A federal judge will now decide what commission, if any, is…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MacRumors",
        "title": "Apple Wants to Charge Developers Up to 15 Percent for Linking Outside the App Store",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/apple-wants-to-charge-developers-up-to-15-percent-for-linking-outside",
        "published": "2026-08-13T22:11:46.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}