Apple’s U.S. App Store commission revenue has dropped 18% since the start of 2026, according to data from Appfigures.
The decline follows Apple’s legal defeat against Epic Games. A U.S. court injunction, effective in April 2025, requires Apple to allow developers to direct customers to external payment options without paying Apple a commission on those transactions.
Apple traditionally collected 15 to 30 percent of digital purchases made through iOS apps. When a customer completes a purchase through an external link, Apple now collects nothing.
The App Store Is Already Feeling the Change
The decline has become more pronounced in 2026. U.S. consumer spending through the App Store fell 6 percent in the second quarter, reversing the 9 percent growth recorded during the same period a year earlier.
Similar pressure is emerging in Brazil and Japan, where new regulations require Apple to loosen its control over in-app payments, with App Store commission revenue falling in both markets.
Apple built its App Store payment model over more than 15 years, collecting a cut from digital transactions made through its platform. Those rules are now being challenged in several of its biggest markets.
Apple’s Services Business Takes the Hit
The App Store is part of Apple’s Services division, and Apple acknowledged during its July earnings call that regulatory changes were beginning to weigh on Services growth.
Apple reported $30.7 billion in Services revenue for the June quarter, a record for the period but below the $31.4 billion analysts had expected.
The division also includes iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and other subscription and digital services, making it difficult to isolate the App Store’s contribution from Apple’s reported results.
The change is becoming more noticeable inside apps, too. More developers now include buttons or links that send customers to their websites to complete purchases.
Developers can avoid Apple’s commission on those transactions, although whether customers actually pay less depends on how much of the savings each company passes along.
More Markets Could Follow
The U.S. isn’t the only market where Apple’s payment model is under pressure.
Regulators in the United Kingdom are considering rules requiring Apple to allow similar payment steering. Apple has described the proposed measures as “highly intrusive.”
If the U.K. adopts comparable rules, another major market could become subject to the same type of payment changes already affecting Apple’s App Store revenue in the U.S., Brazil and Japan.
