Apple has reportedly filed a new appeal with the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals. The company is contesting a recent federal court ruling that found it in contempt for violating a 2021 injunction related to its App Store practices. This legal development is part of the antitrust battle initiated by Epic Games (the creator of Fortnite), which began in 2020.
The original injunction (issued by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in 2021) mandated that Apple allow app developers to inform users about alternative payment methods outside the App Store, potentially bypassing the company’s standard commission fees of up to 30%.
However, in April 2025, Judge Rogers decided that the Tim Cook-led tech giant had knowingly violated the order. The company imposed a new 27% fee on purchases made through external links. It also implemented barrier measures, like so-called ‘scare screens,’ to discourage users from using alternative payment options. Judge Rogers criticized the firm for acting in ‘direct defiance’ of the court’s order. She referred the company and one of its executives to federal prosecutors for potential criminal contempt charges.
And now, as per the report, the company has initiated an appeal in response to the contempt ruling, although the specific legal arguments have not been disclosed. In its latest appeal, Apple maintains that it has complied with the injunction by updating its App Store guidelines to permit developers to include links to external payment methods. Still, Epic Games and other developers argue that the new 27% fee and associated restrictions render these links ‘commercially unusable,’ effectively undermining the intent of the court’s order.
The timing of Apple’s appeal is particularly noteworthy, as it coincides with increasing regulatory scrutiny over its App Store practices. Even last month (in April 2025), the European Commission fined Apple €500 million (~ $570 million) for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The Commission found that Apple restricted app developers from directing users to alternative purchasing options outside the App Store, which limits competition and consumer choice.
Despite all these legal pressures and regulatory setbacks, the scale and financial contribution of Apple’s App Store remain huge. The App Store has over 650 million weekly active users worldwide. In 2024, it generated nearly $92 billion in revenue from mobile app spending (a 14% increase compared to the previous year).
Additionally, during the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, Apple reported $95.4 billion in total revenue. Interestingly, a significant contributor to this was Apple’s Services division, which achieved an all-time revenue high of $26.6 billion, reflecting a 12% increase from the previous year. Notably, this segment includes services like the App Store, Apple Music, and iCloud.
