iPhone and iPad owners could receive compensation of up to £75 following a court ruling that found App Store prices were unfairly inflated between 2015 and 2024.
Apple faced a class action lawsuit accusing the company of misusing its dominant position in the smartphone market by restricting competition through its App Store and charging “excessive and unfair” commission fees.
The legal action was led by academic Dr. Rachael Kent, who argued that users collectively lost around £1.5 billion over a decade due to Apple’s pricing practices. Representing 36 million UK consumers, Dr. Kent made history as the first woman to serve as a Class Representative under the UK’s collective action system.
According to Dr. Kent, Apple typically took a 30% commission from the sale price of paid apps, subscriptions, and in-app purchases, which in turn raised costs for consumers.
Last week, the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) ruled against Apple, determining that the company had abused its market dominance by “blocking competition in the iOS app distribution and in-app payment markets.”
In examining whether iPhone and iPad users were financially affected, the judges found that around half of the inflated costs were passed on directly to customers. The commission applies only to paid apps, so the majority of users are not affected. Apple has also since reduced its commission rate by 50% for small businesses.
Apple said it would appeal against the ruling, which it said “takes a flawed view of the thriving and competitive app economy”.
A spokesperson said: “This ruling overlooks how the App Store helps developers succeed and gives consumers a safe, trusted place to discover apps and securely make payments.”
You may qualify for a payout if you owned an iPhone or iPad between October 1, 2015, and November 15, 2024, and made purchases of paid apps or in-app items during that timeframe.
To confirm eligibility, log in to your Apple App Store account and view your Purchase History under account settings. The default view shows the past 90 days, but you can adjust the settings to review a longer period.
While the payout won’t be huge, affected users could receive between £27 and £75, depending on how many people file claims.
Despite the modest individual sums, the overall claim for damages is substantial — estimated between £1.184 billion and £2.237 billion, including interest, according to the judgment.
A hearing scheduled for next month will determine how compensation amounts are calculated.
However, payouts are not yet certain, as Apple plans to challenge the ruling. The company’s request for permission to appeal will also be reviewed during the upcoming hearing.
