A group of 48 China-based iOS developers have filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with the country’s market regulator over the App Store‘s commission rates, the South China Morning Post reports.
The developers sent an open letter to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), alleging that Apple failed to deliver on a promise to offer the lowest commission rate to the Chinese market. The group asked the SAMR to investigate and penalize Apple for allegedly abusing its market dominance to impose “unfair and excessively high” costs on local developers.
Apple currently charges a 25% commission on paid apps and in-app purchases in China, down from 30% after a cut made in March. The commission on subscription renewals, along with the rate for qualified developers in Apple’s Small Business and Mini Apps Partner programs, was lowered to 12% from 15% at the same time.
The complaint follows a series of similar challenges to Apple’s China App Store policies dating back nearly a decade. A Beijing law firm filed a complaint in 2017 over app removals and high fees, a Chinese consumer sued over App Store fees in 2021 (a claim ultimately rejected by a Shanghai court in 2024), and another Chinese law firm sued again in 2025.
The 48 developers point to Apple’s recent moves elsewhere as evidence the company can do better. Apple lowered its Brazil commission last week to between 10% and 21% of a transaction, plus a 5% processing fee, while also letting Brazilian developers distribute iOS apps through other app marketplaces for a 5% fee. Apple made comparable adjustments in Japan late last year.
The developers want more than Brazil-style pricing. They argue that allowing third-party app stores in China, as Apple already does in the European Union under the Digital Markets Act, would push its effective commission down to as low as 5%.
Apple has faced mounting regulatory pressure over App Store fees worldwide in recent years. The company was fined €500 million ($572.2 million) last year for violating the EU’s Digital Markets Act and has appealed the decision, while in the U.S. it has been ordered to allow external payment links following its legal fight with Epic Games. Apple said earlier this month that its App Store ecosystem generated more than $1.4 trillion in developer billings and sales in 2025, with China contributing the largest share at $562 billion.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.