Apple Hit With Multibillion-Euro Lawsuit for 'Overcharging' App Store Users

Apple is facing a new multibillion-euro lawsuit out of The Netherlands that alleges the company overcharges users who purchase apps and in-app subscriptions through the App Store and accuses Apple of partaking in "market dominance" and "anti-competitive practices."

iOS App Store General Feature Dock
The foundation spearheading the lawsuit is the Consumer Competition Claims Foundation, which describes itself as "an independent non-profit foundation that is committed to protecting consumers against unfair commercial practices and violations of consumer law."

On its website, the foundation says that Apple, through its ‌App Store‌ policies, is overcharging users who pay for apps and in-app services, adding that users should "demand" refunds for purchases.

By using anti-competitive practices, Apple has been able to charge excessively high prices and impose restrictive conditions. Apple excluded all competition and withheld choice for consumers on their App-store and in-app purchases.

The foundation points to what is commonly referred to as the "Apple tax," a 15% or 30% commission that Apple takes for all digital purchases made on and through the ‌App Store‌. The foundation says that the commission forces developers to increase prices for users. "iPhone and iPad owners pay the price for Apple's App-store abusive monopoly," the foundation states.

Bloomberg reports the foundation believes the lawsuit will lead to upwards of $5.5 billion in damages sought for all EU ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ users who have made a purchase through Apple's ‌App Store‌. On its website, the foundation asks customers to join their efforts to "hold Apple accountable."

The new lawsuit is one of several legal battles brewing for Apple in Europe. Apple continues to be fined by the Dutch consumer and markets authority for its failure to comply with a previous ruling, which allows for third-party payment methods for Dutch dating apps. The authority says that despite Apple's announcement and plan to let eligible developers use a third-party payment method for in-app purchases, Apple still fails to comply with the new ruling. Apple has been fined €50 million as a consequence.

Popular Stories

ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Air

Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Wednesday October 22, 2025 3:22 am PDT by
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
sam sung auction

Former Apple Employee Sam Sung Changed His Name to Avoid Attention

Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name. Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
cadillac lyric infotainment

GM to Remove CarPlay from All Future Vehicles, Including Gas Cars

Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down. In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple's Plan to Launch Three New iPhone Designs Allegedly Revealed

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:24 am PDT by
Apple plans to launch a new type of iPhone every year for the foreseeable future, according to an Asia-based source. The detailed information was shared by the account "yeux1122" in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver, citing domestic trend and component research companies. Corroborating other reports, Apple will apparently launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
kohler toilet sensor

Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis

Monday October 20, 2025 1:42 pm PDT by
Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom. According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of...

Top Rated Comments

Steve121178 Avatar
47 months ago
No one is forced to buy anything. Those that buy must be clearly happy with the price or why would they choose to make a purchase?
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cupcakes2000 Avatar
47 months ago

Quick question, are you happy with your utility prices?

A lot of people buying gas and diesel might differ on that point.
Far cry from the dev charging 99p instead of 70p for a flappy birds app- don’t you think? No one is forced to buy anything from the App Store or from Apple itself. No one is forced to buy an iPhone. And Apple should not be forced to give away anything. It’s business - suck it up.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yellow8 Avatar
47 months ago
I'm happy as a developer and my customers are happy. Isn't it the most important?
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yabeweb Avatar
47 months ago

Quick question, are you happy with your utility prices?
Well isn't that different? One is a "must have" the other one is not.



A lot of people buying gas and diesel might differ on that point.
See above, you need gas, to go to work and grocery shopping, do you really need a game / app?

EDIT:
Love the downvoters, like they really think Utility and Gas are as important / needed as Apps :D.

I would pay for all your apps if you staied 1 week without light /phone / gas / heater / air conditioner using a car and so on :D
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aidoneus Avatar
47 months ago
Are there any examples of app prices coming down with Apple’s cut being reduced to 15%?

If not, I’m not sure this lawsuit makes much sense.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ct2k7 Avatar
47 months ago

No one is forced to buy anything. Those that buy must be clearly happy with the price or why would they choose to make a purchase?
Quick question, are you happy with your utility prices?
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)