Apple faces China pressure to open App Store ecosystem

The People’s Daily said Apple must ease App Store restrictions and fix “monopolistic” practices after Apple cut its mainland China App Store commission to 25% from 30%.

Chinese users and developers still face restrictions, including an inability to access third-party payment services and alternative app store options on iOS.

The piece framed the fee cut as a win for regulators and noted Apple has made other concessions, including a 2024 European settlement that will open its mobile wallet technology to other providers.

Bloomberg reported that China’s antitrust watchdog has been examining Apple’s policies on the commission in-app purchases and its bans on external payment services and alternative app stores.

The People’s Daily concluded that tougher antitrust scrutiny is now irreversible as and said the market will watch whether Apple opens its ecosystem further.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Regulators, not one lawsuit, likely drove Apple’s fee cut

Apple moved after reports that China’s antitrust watchdog has been reviewing App Store rules, including in app purchase commissions plus bans on outside payment options and rival app stores 1.
In 2025, 55 Chinese iPhone and iPad users filed an antitrust complaint with the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), China’s top market regulator. The filing argues Apple keeps China locked down while allowing other app stores plus payment routes in the EU and US after regulatory pushback 2.
This fight has a legal track too. A 2021 civil suit was dismissed in 2024, and it is now on appeal at China’s Supreme People’s Court 2.

Apple’s China only cut leans on pricing rather than platform changes

Apple will lower App Store developer fees in mainland China on March 15, 2026. The standard rate drops from 30% to 25%, while small businesses and mini app developers go from 15% to 12% 1.
Europe took a different path. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced Apple to accept third party app stores plus alternative payment systems on iPhone and iPad 3.
China has its own gravity. Tencent’s WeChat has about 1.4 billion monthly users, and its ‘mini programs’ are lightweight apps that run inside WeChat 4.
The price concession helps Apple keep iOS rules intact in China so far, and it favors deals by region over wide platform rewrites.