This week, we signed and sent an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen alongside 20+ incredible app developers, associations and consumer organizations, including Proton, Threema, Deezer, and the Coalition for App Fairness.

The message is simple: Apple is still breaking the law, and the EU needs to act.

What's Going On?

Back in April 2025, the European Commission ruled that Apple's App Store policies are illegal under the Digital Markets Act. The DMA is clear: gatekeepers like Apple must allow developers to offer transactions outside the App Store free of charge.

Six months later, Apple is still charging developers up to 20% commission on those very transactions. That's not compliance. That's defiance.

Why Should You Care?

Here's the frustrating part: US developers now have a better deal than European ones. After Epic Games' court victory, American developers can freely tell customers about alternative payment options, without paying Apple a cut. Meanwhile in Europe, where we actually passed a landmark law to fix this, we're stuck with worse terms.

As the letter puts it: "Why should developers and consumers get a worse deal in Europe than in the US?"

When Apple taxes app developers, those costs get passed down to you. Higher subscription prices. Fewer features. Less innovation. Less competition. This affects every app you use on your iPhone.

What We're Asking For

Apple has announced new App Store terms coming in January 2026, but nobody knows what they'll actually contain. Developers are operating in the dark, unable to plan, unable to invest, unable to compete. As the letter states, Apple's "lack of transparency in tandem with its rushed timelines paralyzes innovation and investment."

We're asking the Commission to enforce the law as written. Free of charge means free of charge.

Our Co-Signatories

We're proud to stand with Proton, Threema, Deezer, the Coalition for App Fairness, European Games Developer Federation, European Publishers Council, App Fair Project and many incredible other organizations in this initiative.

You can read the full letter on Coalition for App Fairness' website, and check out the media coverage on The Register and Reuters.