Apple loses landmark UK case over App Store monopoly, faces £1.5 billion hit
The UK’s top competition court says Apple overcharged developers and abused its dominance.
Apple’s power has never just been about the devices it sells. It’s about the rules it sets for everyone who wants to reach those devices, from the apps you download to the payments you make inside them. Earlier this year, we covered how that control was being challenged in a lawsuit. Now, that case has taken a major turn.
In a decision that could cost the tech giant up to £1.5 billion ($1.8 billion), the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) found that the company abused its dominance between 2015 and 2020 by charging developers unfairly high commissions on App Store sales.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
The case was led by Rachael Kent, a British academic who argued that Apple’s “100% monopoly” on the App Store allowed it to set the rules and the prices, unchecked. The tribunal agreed, estimating that developers were overcharged by roughly the gap between that 30% and a fairer 17.5%, with about half of those costs passed on to users.
Apple, of course, sees things differently. It says the ruling “takes a flawed view of the app economy,” arguing that the App Store offers developers a secure global platform and gives users a safe way to discover and pay for apps. But the verdict lands as Apple faces increasing pressure from regulators in both the U.S. and Europe, all questioning whether its tightly controlled ecosystem truly benefits consumers or simply protects its profits.
For Britain, the ruling carries another meaning. It’s the first major victory under the country’s still-new collective action regime, a legal path that lets millions of consumers band together against corporate giants. After years of false starts, the system finally has its breakthrough, and Apple just happens to be the first to fall.
Other companies may soon find themselves in the same position. Google is set to face a similar claim in 2026, while Amazon, Microsoft, and Epic Games are also up against challenges at the same tribunal.
Louis Eriakha
Kent called the verdict a “clear message” that no company, no matter how powerful, sits above the law. If the damages are upheld, it could mark one of the largest payouts in UK legal history, setting a precedent that reverberates across the global app economy.
For Apple, this ruling strikes at the heart of its business model. The App Store built a world of convenience for users, a safe place to download, and for developers, a global audience. But as this case shows, convenience has always come at a cost. And now, for the first time, Apple may have to pay for it.
