Apple is facing a new £1.5 billion UK lawsuit over App Store practices

Apple can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to lawsuits over its App Store. The tech giant is now defending itself against a £1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) class-action lawsuit in the UK, which accuses the company of abusing its dominant position in the app marketplace.

Filed on behalf of nearly 20 million UK iPhone and iPad users, the lawsuit alleges that Apple’s policies forced consumers to overpay for apps and in-app purchases over a nine-year period between October 2015 and November 2024.

The case, led by Dr Rachael Kent, a King’s College London academic, centres on Apple’s requirement that all iOS apps be downloaded exclusively through its App Store, where developers are charged up to 30% commission on sales. These fees, the lawsuit argues, are passed on to consumers, inflating prices unnecessarily.

Kent claims the App Store has transformed from a gateway for innovation into a monopolistic bottleneck. “Apple guards access to the world of apps jealously, charging fees that are completely unjustified,” Kent said.

Apple has denied the accusations, calling the lawsuit “meritless.” It argues that its commission rates align with industry standards and fund essential services such as security, privacy, and developer tools. The company also noted that 85% of apps on the App Store are free and that smaller developers qualify for reduced fees.

The trial, currently underway at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London, is expected to last seven weeks.

However, this case is just one of several that point an accusing finger at Apple regarding its App Store policies in Europe and globally. For instance, the tech giant is defending a similar £785 million lawsuit brought by app developers over this hefty 30% commission in the UK.

Separately, European regulators recently accused the company of anti-competitive practices, prompting the company to announce plans to allow its European users to access rival app platforms from their iPhones.

Meanwhile, outside of the UK, the U.S. Department of Justice has launched a lawsuit claiming Apple’s App Store rules hinder competition highlighting the mounting scrutiny of Apple’s App Store operations.

The outcome of this lawsuit could signal a turning point in how digital marketplaces are governed—and how tech giants like Apple balance innovation with fairness in the global app ecosystem.