Apple’s App Store Fee Fight: A Warning for Malaysian SMEs
If you run a business that sells anything through an app—a subscription, a digital product, an online service—you’ve probably accepted that the platform owner takes a cut. That’s just part of the game, right? Well, that “normal” might be about to change, and the ripple could land on your side of the world.
This week, a United States court told Apple that it cannot delay the fee-setting process in the company’s long-running battle with Epic Games. Apple now has just 24 hours to outline the fees it wants to charge developers for linking to alternative payment options. Epic then gets 60 days to respond, and the court will decide what’s “reasonable” [source]. This isn’t just Silicon Valley drama—it could redefine how Malaysian SMEs get paid in mobile apps.
TL;DR: Apple’s request to pause the App Store fee fight has been rejected. Courts are now determining what Apple can fairly charge for link-outs, which could lower the commissions you pay inside the App Store. For Malaysian SMEs, this is the moment to stop relying entirely on a single platform and start building your own payment relationships.
What This Means
The dispute dates back to 2020, when Epic sued Apple over the 30% commission Apple takes on most in-app purchases. Apple largely won the first round, but the court still ordered Apple to change its anti-steering rules—meaning developers could finally link out to their own websites to take payments [source]. Apple complied, but it added a 12% to 27% fee on those link-outs. So you had a choice: pay the usual 30% inside the app, or pay up to 27% for the privilege of sending a customer to your own payment page. Not exactly a great deal.
In April 2025, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in contempt of court for willfully violating her order, and stopped Apple from collecting any fees on links in the U.S. App Store [source]. Apple appealed, and while the appeals court upheld the contempt ruling, it said Apple is still entitled to “reasonable fees” for its intellectual property. The case was sent back to the district court to work out what reasonable actually means.
Apple tried to pause that process while waiting for the Supreme Court to hear its appeal. The court said no. The Supreme Court will still hear the case starting in October 2026, but the fee calculation will move forward now. That’s why Apple must file its proposed fee schedule within hours, and Epic gets to challenge it in writing before a hearing [source]. The outcome will likely affect Apple’s app store rules well beyond the U.S., because, as Apple itself told the Supreme Court, regulators around the world are watching [source].
How This Applies to Malaysian SMEs
You might think this is an American issue. But Apple enforces its App Store rules globally, and any fee change in the U.S. will almost certainly reach Malaysia. If you have an iOS app for your business—whether it’s a coffee subscription, a fitness coaching service, or an online retail store—you are currently paying the same 30% standard commission on most in-app purchases. When the U.S. court decides a fair link-out fee, Apple will likely adopt that standard worldwide to avoid a flood of cases from other countries.
Think about what that means for your own app. Let’s say you’re selling a meal-plan subscription or a premium video course. Today, if a customer purchases inside your iOS app, Apple takes roughly one-third of each transaction. You could choose to send them to your own web page, but until now, you’d still owe Apple a 12% to 27% fee on that transaction [source]. That’s why many Malaysian SMEs simply absorb the commission and keep the in-app purchase flow. But if the court sets a much lower fee—or removes it entirely—your pricing structure and profit margins could change for the better.
There’s a deeper lesson here for Malaysian SME owners. The real risk is not the specific fee percentage—it’s the dependency. Far too many small businesses operate entirely on one platform: Apple, Google, Facebook, or even a food delivery marketplace. When that platform changes its rules, you have no leverage. Look at what happened to many Malaysian merchants when delivery platforms increased commissions in recent years. The app store fight is the same story. The good news is that you can start preparing now. Build a simple payment page on your own website, automate your invoices and receipts, and capture your customer’s email at the point of order. Then even if the App Store fee changes in a way you don’t like, you have a direct way to keep selling to your customers.
Practical Takeaways
- Review your current app payment setup. Look at your App Store Connect dashboard or your analytics. Check whether you’re paying in-app purchase fees for digital goods or services. If you are, make a note of exactly which transactions trigger the fee.
- Set up a payment page on your own website. Even if you don’t use it yet, have a simple, secure page where customers can buy directly. Many Malaysian payment gateways offer easy integration for small businesses. Don’t wait for the legal case to finish.
- Start building your customer list today. Every time someone makes a purchase in your app, ask for their email address or phone number. That’s your channel to reach them even if a platform changes its rules tomorrow.
- Automate your payment reconciliation. If you plan to diversify your payment channels, use an automation tool that pulls data from your standalone gateway, your app, and your website. That way, you’ll always know exactly how much you’re paying in platform fees and to whom.
- Follow the story from a business perspective. Don’t just read tech news—watch for how the ruling affects payment providers in Malaysia. Following MDEC or local e-commerce associations can give you more relevant context.
| Key fact | What it means |
|---|---|
| Original Apple in-app purchase commission | 30% on most digital goods and services |
| Apple’s link-out fee after court order | 12%–27% per transaction |
| April 2025 contempt ruling | Apple stopped collecting U.S. link-out fees |
| Current situation | No fees are being collected on link-outs while court calculates a reasonable fee |
For Malaysian SMEs, the real battle isn’t between Apple and Epic. It’s between your business and your own assumption that platform fees are unchangeable. They aren’t—and the sooner you plan for flexibility, the better.
The Bigger Picture
This fight isn’t really about two tech giants being stubborn. It’s about the fundamental rules for how digital goods are sold around the world. For years, app stores operated like toll booths on the only road into your customers’ wallets. That’s changing. Regulators in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere are pushing for more openness. Malaysia’s own digital economy is growing quickly, and local businesses are beginning to ask harder questions about the costs embedded in their sales channels.
The court’s decision—whatever it is—won’t be the end. There will be appeals, new disputes, and more rules. But the direction is clear: platform fees will not remain a black box forever. You’ll eventually have more choices about how you collect payment from your app users. The question is whether you will be ready to take advantage of those choices.
That’s why the smartest move for a Malaysian SME owner is not to wait for the final ruling. Instead, start building the internal systems that let you sell wherever your customer is—inside an app, on your website, or even over WhatsApp. Automate your payment tracking, keep your customer data in your own database, and never let a single platform become the only way you earn a ringgit. This case is a loud reminder that the ground under your business can shift at any time. The businesses that prepare for that shift—not the ones that hope it won’t happen—will come out ahead.
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