Apple Denied Stay on Court Ruling – Must Stop Charging 27% Fee on Third-Party Payments Outside App Store

Apple has been denied its request for a stay on a U.S. court ruling, meaning the company must immediately halt its 27% fee on payments made outside of the App Store. This comes after a court in April found Apple in “willful violation” of a 2021 injunction that prohibited the tech giant from enforcing anticompetitive payment practices.

Last month, Apple filed an emergency motion seeking to delay enforcement of the ruling, but the court has now rejected it. While Apple has also appealed the decision, that process is ongoing and could change things down the line. For now, however, Apple must comply with the latest court order.

This ruling forces Apple to remove the so-called "scare screens" shown to users when they try to use third-party payment methods for iOS apps—screens that warned users about security risks when choosing non-Apple payment systems.

Apps like Spotify and Amazon have already begun updating their iOS apps to reflect this new reality. Users can now subscribe and pay through external platforms without paying the “Apple Tax.”

This marks a major shift in app store economics and could set the tone for future antitrust actions in the tech industry.