April 14, 2026, 3:47 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
The dispute between Apple and Epic Games continues. The iPhone maker plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court again. The goal is to challenge a decision that limits Apple’s ability to charge commissions for purchases made outside of apps.
The conflict has been ongoing for several years. Apple remains determined to defend its existing rules. The central issue is whether and to what extent the company can charge fees for external payment methods.
How the Conflict Originally Began
The dispute was triggered by a decision from Epic Games in 2020. The company integrated its own payment processing into its apps to bypass the fees incurred in Apple’s App Store.
The court did not find a monopoly at the time. Apple won most of the case. However, the company was required to allow external purchase options. Apple challenged this in 2021, but the Supreme Court declined to review it, leaving the ruling in place.
As a result, Apple allowed external payments but continued to charge a 27 percent commission, just below the usual 30 percent for in-app purchases. Epic Games sees this as a violation of the court’s directives.
Court Sees Violation by Apple
In 2025, a U.S. district court ruled in favor of Epic Games. The judges found that Apple had violated the court’s directives but did not specify an alternative fee rate. This decision put pressure on Apple, yet the company remains steadfast and seeks another court review.
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Apple Seeks New Review
According to TechCrunch, Apple wants to bring the case before the Supreme Court again. The company aims to have the judges examine another aspect of the case.
Apple has long argued that the fees are not charged for payment processing itself. Instead, they are meant to cover services such as hosting, data analysis, developer tools, and software. If the court accepts the case, it could have far-reaching implications for App Store rules.
Epic Games Criticizes Apple’s Actions
Alongside the new initiative, Apple requested a temporary suspension of the existing restrictions. On April 6, 2026, the court granted this request. Epic Games immediately responded by filing an appeal.
A spokesperson for Epic Games sharply criticized Apple’s actions. She said it was
“another delay tactic designed to prevent the court from effectively and permanently restricting Apple’s ability to charge excessive fees for third-party payments.”
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She further stated: “Courts have repeatedly declared this illegal. Epic has heard directly from many developers in our efforts to offer webshops and similar features as competition to Apple. Due to Apple’s tactics, only a few brave developers, including Spotify, Kindle, and Patreon, have been willing to use this right and benefit consumers. We will continue to resist Apple’s attempts to undermine competition.”