A group of 48 China-based iOS developers have filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with the country’s market regulator over App Store 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 keep its promise to offer the lowest commission rate in the Chinese market. The group asked SAMR to investigate and penalize Apple for allegedly abusing its dominant market position 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, up from 30% after a reduction in March. The commission on subscription renewals, as well as the rate for qualified developers in the Apple Small Business and Mini Apps Partner programs, have been lowered to 12%, down from 15% at the same time.
The complaint follows a series of similar challenges to Apple’s App Store China policies dating back nearly a decade. A Beijing law firm filed a lawsuit in 2017 over app removal and high fees, a Chinese consumer sued over App Store fees in 2021 (a claim ultimately dismissed 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 proof that the company can do better. Apple reduced its commission in Brazil last week to between 10 and 21 percent of a transaction, plus a 5 percent processing fee, while allowing Brazilian developers to distribute iOS apps through other app marketplaces for a 5 percent fee. Apple made comparable adjustments in Japan late last year.
Developers want more than Brazilian-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 reduce its effective commission to just 5%.
Apple has faced increasing regulatory pressure over App Store fees around the world in recent years. The company was fined 500 million euros ($572.2 million) last year for violating the EU’s digital markets law and appealed the decision, while in the US it was ordered to allow external payment links following its legal battle with Epic Games. Apple said earlier this month that its App Store ecosystem generated more than $1.4 trillion in developer bills and sales in 2025, with China contributing the largest share at $562 billion.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion on 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.
