Apple Faces Class-Action Lawsuit from 1,500 Developers on App Store's 30% Commission

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 24 July 2023, 10:07 pm

The renowned Cupertino company, Apple, is now facing a massive class-action lawsuit from the United Kingdom for its App Store commission rate of 30 percent. While this problem is no longer a new complaint against Apple, the company is now facing this case from overseas, with more than 1,500 developers raising their concerns about the massive fee.

Like many who have fought against Apple's App Store commissions, the case centers on Apple's monopoly and massive charges for the developers who want to push their apps for the public to enjoy.

Apple Faces Class-Action Lawsuit in the UK for App Store

(Photo : Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

A report from Reuters claims that as many as 1,556 developers from the U.K. have banded together to push a class-action lawsuit against Apple for its current setup on the App Store. These developers claimed that Apple's charges on the App Store are "excessive" and this is significantly affecting its developers and app buyers.

This is only the latest fight against Apple, but it is certainly not the first, as many have already raised their issues against the company, but has since been the policy imposed against developers.

According to Apple Insider, the class-action lawsuit is now on its way to the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal which would soon review the case and hear both sides of the lawsuit.

App Developers Do Not Want the App Store's 30%

"Apple's charges to app developers are excessive, and only possible due to its monopoly on the distribution of apps onto iPhones and iPads," Sean Ennis, a professor from the University of East Anglia's Centre for Competition Policy.

The class-action lawsuit is now deeming Apple as a monopoly that charges a massive fee to developers for the distribution of apps and experiences for the iPhone and iPad via the App Store, with an egregious commission rate.

The Infamous App Store's 30% Commission

A massive fight from app developers, tech executives, various companies, and indie creators has gone against Apple throughout the years because of its infamous App Store. While it remains the only channel for Apple to bring all the apps for the iOS devices, it charges a massive 30 percent commission with the likes of Tim Sweeney, Elon Musk, and more have complained about.

There were changes before that aims to appease the community, with Apple enforcing a new policy that those with lower than $1 million in revenue yearly for its distribution will only be charged 15 percent. With this, many small developers, categorized in their yearly revenue, saw massive earnings for their apps on the platform.

Despite Apple's changes and adjustments, those who exceed the $1 million threshold will automatically get the 30 percent rates that would automatically proceed straight to Apple's pocket. The class-action lawsuit is now starting to bring the fight to Apple, with the UK-based developers no longer taking this setup from the Cupertino giant.