The 'Apple tax' is crumbling — and it could mean cheaper apps and subscriptions for you

More shareholders seem to see this miss as a warning sign that legal challenges from companies like Epic Games and governments like the European Commission are putting a dent in Apple’s Services revenue. Epic Games had challenged Apple’s restrictions on in-app purchasing methods other than through the App Store.

According to FT, even Apple acknowledged this threat in recent regulatory filings, claiming it “may not earn a commission at all” when customers use payment systems outside the App Store.

Financial analysts have already begun factoring this slowdown in Services into their forecasts for Apple’s market cap, with shares dipping roughly 7% immediately after the earnings call.

As Washington Analysis’s director of legal research Nicholas Rodelli explained to FT, “Apple’s premium valuation is predicated on services, and the App Store is really the crown jewel of that. We think the market is going to reprice the durability of the services business take rate.”​

Moneywise reached out to Apple for further comment, but didn’t hear back by the time of publication.

Sales slip on the App Store

​There’s mounting evidence from third-party sources that legal stressors are already slowing sales through the App Store.​

For instance, data shared with FT from the market research firm Sensor Tower showed a 6% drop-off in U.S. consumer spending in the App Store in the second quarter of 2026. By contrast, this figure rose by 9% one year ago.

Looking at the global picture, Sensor Tower reported that total consumer spending grew 3% year-over-year in the June quarter, significantly lower than 13% in the same period last year.

The app analytics company Appfigures added to Sensor Tower’s findings, telling the publication it discovered an 18% contraction in Apple’s U.S. commission revenue in 2026.

Although Wall Street analysts didn’t use these specific stats in Apple’s earnings call, the lower-than-expected figures for Services were at the top of their minds. For instance, Morgan Stanley’s Head of U.S. Technology Hardware Equity Research, Erik Woodring, directly questioned Apple executives about why growth in Services wasn’t as high as expected.

Although Apple’s CFO Kevan Parekh argued that “foreign exchange was the main driver for the change in the year-over-year growth rate sequentially,” he mentioned “some changes to the App Store business model in certain countries.” As Parekh elaborated, “In the U.S., we do continue to operate under a court ruling impacting the link-out transactions,” which played a role in recent Services performance.

Does this mean cheaper apps?

​For iOS developers and App Store shoppers, the biggest benefit of these developments is that there are legit ways to save some money. You might have already seen some apps offer discounts for paying directly through a developer’s website rather than paying commissions (aka, the “Apple Tax”) through the App Store.​

But that doesn’t mean Apple is just taking this all in stride.