Story perspectives

Apple Replaces EU Core Fee With 5% Commission

8/19/2026

Summary

Story summary

Apple will replace the Core Technology Fee with a 5 percent EU commission, effective 1 October 2025.
In-App Purchase commissions fall to 26 percent, or 15 percent for Small Business, Mini Apps and Video Partner programmes.
Alternative-payment and web-link apps will pay 20 percent (10 percent for participants) and 15 percent (10 percent for participants).
The European Commission welcomed the changes after fining Apple €500 million in April 2025 and will monitor implementation.

History

Historical Context

In March 2004 the European Commission, led by President José Manuel Barroso and competition commissioner Neelie Kroes, fined Microsoft €497 million for tying Windows Media Player to its Windows OS and refusing interoperability information. The ruling forced Microsoft to sell a version of Windows without the player and to license server protocols. This landmark antitrust decision set a precedent for later EU scrutiny of platform dominance.

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Story summary

Apple will replace the Core Technology Fee with a 5 percent EU commission, effective 1 October 2025.
In-App Purchase commissions fall to 26 percent, or 15 percent for Small Business, Mini Apps and Video Partner programmes.
Alternative-payment and web-link apps will pay 20 percent (10 percent for participants) and 15 percent (10 percent for participants).
The European Commission welcomed the changes after fining Apple €500 million in April 2025 and will monitor implementation.

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