48 Chinese Developers File Antitrust Complaint Against Apple's App Store Commission with Market Regulator
Miles Bennett
Forty-eight iOS developers jointly filed a complaint with China's market regulator accusing Apple of excessive commissions and abuse of market dominance — the first collective regulatory challenge to App Store fees in China, adding to a €500 million EU fine and signaling multi-front institutional pressure on Apple's global app-ecosystem business model.
What exactly are these 48 developers complaining about?
Forty-eight iOS developers submitted an open letter to China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), accusing Apple of failing to deliver on its promise of the lowest commission rate for the Chinese market.
The letter demands SAMR investigate Apple for "abuse of market dominance" and for charging "unfair and excessive" fees, and impose penalties.
The letter was published Monday on the WeChat blog of developer Tian Junwei (田俊威).
Why is this time different from past complaints?
Previous antitrust grievances against Apple in China came as isolated cases — in 2017 a Beijing law firm complained on behalf of developers about app removals and Apple's 30% commission; in 2021 a consumer sued over high App Store fees, but a Shanghai court dismissed the case in 2024.
This means → a 48-person joint letter is a step-change in form: individual grievances have become collective action, sending a far stronger signal to the regulator.
In plain terms = one complaint is easy to shelve; 48 signatures on the same letter make it much harder for SAMR to ignore.
How does Apple's EU trouble connect to this?
EU pressure is escalating in parallel: two civil-rights groups filed App Store complaints with EU antitrust regulators last year; this July Apple was fined €500 million (~$572.2 million) for violating the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA — a law targeting large platform gatekeepers). Apple has appealed; the case is ongoing.
This reflects a pattern: Apple's app-store commission model faces institutional challenges across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously — not an isolated incident.
This means → whether Chinese and EU regulatory actions create a spillover effect will determine if Apple can sustain its current global commission framework.
What has Apple said?
As of publication, Apple has made no response to the Chinese developers' complaint.
In plain terms = silence itself is a signal — Apple either has no ready answer or considers no comment the safest play for now.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.