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European Developers Urge EU to Act Against Apple Over App Store Fees

By  |  December 16, 2025

A group of 20 app makers and consumer advocacy organizations has urged European regulators to take tougher action against Apple, arguing that the company’s current fee structure puts European developers at a disadvantage compared with their U.S. counterparts, according to Reuters.

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    The appeal, made on Tuesday, centers on the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, which came into force in 2023. The law requires large technology companies designated as “gatekeepers,” including Apple, to allow developers to direct users to alternative payment options without charging fees. The coalition says Apple’s approach in Europe falls short of that requirement, especially when contrasted with changes forced by a recent U.S. court ruling, per Reuters.

    Earlier this year, the European Commission fined Apple 500 million euros for breaching the DMA, finding that the company prevented developers from steering users toward payment methods outside the App Store. Following that decision, Apple adjusted its terms in the EU, introducing fees that range from 13% for smaller developers to as much as 20% on App Store transactions, while also applying charges of between 5% and 15% on purchases made through external links, according to Reuters.

    The Coalition for Apps Fairness, which represents companies including music streaming service Deezer and privacy-focused firm Proton, argues that these revised conditions still violate EU law. The group says U.S. developers now benefit from more favorable treatment after the American court decision limited Apple’s ability to collect fees on outside transactions.

    Read more: Switzerland Opens Antitrust Probe Into Apple’s Mobile Payments Practices

    “This situation is untenable and damaging to the app economy,” the coalition said in a statement, accusing Apple of weakening transparency and holding back innovation.

    Gene Burrus, global policy counsel for the Coalition for Apps Fairness, said European developers are left with little choice but to absorb the added costs or pass them on to users. “It is bad for European companies, and it is bad for European consumers,” he said.

    The coalition also noted that, six months after the European Commission declared Apple’s previous practices illegal under the DMA, developers in the bloc still see no meaningful relief. While Apple has said it plans to introduce additional policy changes in January, it has not detailed what those changes will involve, which has added to frustration among developers, according to Reuters.

    “We want the EU Commission to tell Apple that the law is the law and that free of charge means free of charge,” Burrus said, adding that regulators should consider escalating the matter to the European Court of Justice if compliance is not achieved.

    Source: Reuters