Apple Faces £1.5 Billion UK Lawsuit Over App Store 'Overcharging'

Apple is heading to court in London on Monday to defend against a class-action lawsuit seeking £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) in damages over alleged anti-competitive App Store practices in the UK.

app store blue banner uk fixed
Filed by King's College London academic Dr. Rachael Kent, the lawsuit claims Apple has violated UK and European competition laws by requiring iOS users to download apps exclusively through the App Store while charging developers a commission of up to 30% on purchases.

The legal action represents around 19.6 million UK iPhone and iPad users who may have been overcharged for apps and in-app purchases between October 2015 and November 2024. Under UK law, affected users are automatically included in the claim unless they opt out.

Kent argues that while the App Store was initially "a brilliant gateway" for services, it has become "the only gateway" for millions of consumers, with Apple acting as a monopolist by blocking access to alternative platforms that could offer better deals.

Apple has firmly rejected the allegations, calling the lawsuit "meritless," and says that its App Store commission rates are "very much in the mainstream" compared to other digital marketplaces. The company says that 85% of apps on the App Store are free, and many developers qualify for a reduced 15% commission rate.

The trial at the Competition Appeal Tribunal is expected to last seven weeks and is one of several legal challenges Apple faces globally regarding its App Store practices.

The company is also defending against a separate £785 million UK lawsuit related to developer fees and was recently fined €500 million ($538 million) by the European Commission for breaching digital competition rules relating to music streaming services.

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.

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

vantelimus Avatar
26 weeks ago
More nonsense from people looking for an extortion payday.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DelayedGratificationGene Avatar
26 weeks ago
This EU and UK bullying nonsense will abruptly stop under the new administration. Absolutely no way this will be tolerated.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unregistered 4U Avatar
26 weeks ago

Apple acting as a monopolist by blocking access to alternative platforms that could offer better deals.
This would only be true if, like a TRUE monopolist, Apple was:
1. Buying hardware producers and then shutting them down
2. Requiring that developers releasing applications for the iPhones ONLY release applications for the iPhone
3. Restricting carriers to only carrying the iPhone
and other things like that. Monopoly power allows companies to physically, literally restrict the existence of ANY competition. Not… whatever weak sauce they’re trying to define here.

As it is, for an iPhone user in the UK, the ONLY thing potentially blocking them from access to Android’s better deals is figuring out how to leave the Apple ecosystem, and the applications for doing that are FAR more robust today than previously. But, that would require them to understand that a “monopoly” definition that includes a company’s trademarked product names is not a “monopoly” it’s “products and services produced/provided BY that company”. If an Apple iPhone user doesn’t want to use the Apple iPhone App Store, it’s easy. Just don’t use an “Apple” anything and you’re in the clear.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
26 weeks ago
My argument consistently would be, why is the iPhone setup this way but the Mac isn’t? I’m all for security, but giving people choice is importantly. Put as many warning messages as you want and make the user responsible.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
26 weeks ago
Goof luck UK. Good luck Apple.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zest28 Avatar
26 weeks ago
Isn't the UK charging 45% to 47% in taxes for everything you earn over 125.000? Talk about overcharging.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)