Apple replaced its labyrinthine European fee structure with a single 5 percent commission on digital transactions outside the App Store, a move the company says resolves its standoff with Brussels but which Epic Games immediately dismissed as "junk fees" that leave the Digital Markets Act toothless.
The new math
For apps distributed through alternative marketplaces or the web, Apple will take 5 percent, replacing a previous regime that layered a Core Technology Fee, an initial acquisition fee and a store services fee on top of each other. Developers who stay inside the App Store but use alternative payment processors will pay 20 percent, or 10 percent if they qualify for the small business programme. The changes take effect October 1. The source does not disclose any break fee or condition tied to the new terms.
Brussels signals approval
The European Commission welcomed the overhaul and said it would monitor implementation. Apple framed the new terms as a single set of conditions similar to the commission-based models it already operates in Japan and Brazil, where regulators have also pressed for a more open app ecosystem. The company's stated rationale, that the simplified structure resolves disagreements with the EU, is a claim, not a fact.
The litigation continues
Apple is still fighting over what it can charge developers in the United States. Epic Games, which has been litigating against Apple for years, said the new commission does "nothing to open up the mobile app ecosystem to competition, as required by Digital Market Act." The company warned that if the Commission accepts the terms and drops its enforcement actions, "the law will become meaningless and consumers and developers will not experience the benefits it was designed to provide."
What to watch
The Commission's next move will determine whether a simplified fee schedule is enough to satisfy the DMA's gatekeeper obligations or whether the regulator demands structural concessions that go beyond pricing. Apple's willingness to align EU terms with Japan and Brazil suggests a template it can replicate, but only if Brussels agrees the job is done.