Apple’s grip on digital payments faces mounting pressure from courts, regulators, and Web3 developers — setting the stage for a clash between centralized control and the open, decentralized future of the internet.
In Cupertino, two very different futures for the internet are on a collision course. One is Apple’s pristine, tightly gripped App Store. The other is the messy, decentralized world of Web3.
This isn’t just a squabble over developer rules; it’s a fight over who gets to build — and profit from — the next phase of our digital lives.
While judges and governments are finally punching holes in Apple’s fortress, the company is quietly building a new one for the immersive future it wants to own.
Apple’s 30% cut on digital sales — dubbed the “Apple Tax” by developers — has long fueled frustration and lawsuits, especially from the Web3 community, where fees typically range from just 2-5%.
The conflict escalated with the Epic Games v. Apple case. Although the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear it, a lower court ruling stood: California now bans Apple’s “anti-steering” rules, allowing developers to direct users to external websites for payments.
A federal judge later found Apple was deliberately ignoring the order and barred it from collecting fees on those outside-the-app transactions.
In Europe, Apple faces even more pressure under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The EU has designated Apple a “gatekeeper,” requiring it to open the iPhone to competing app stores and payment systems.
Apple responded with a new fee structure for the EU, which developers criticized as a confusing and strategic attempt to maintain control while appearing to comply with the law.
Legal pressure has pushed Apple to revise its App Store rules, creating a split experience for Web3 developers.
In the U.S., as of May 2025, Apple has relaxed restrictions. Apps can now include buttons and links that direct users to external websites to purchase NFTs or other digital assets — bypassing Apple’s 30% commission entirely.
Many in the crypto space celebrated, calling it a breakthrough for mobile crypto.
NFT marketplaces that previously only allowed browsing on iPhones can now enable direct purchases without awkward workarounds.
However, outside the U.S., Apple’s global policies remain strict. Key rules highlight its tight control:
These restrictions continue to frustrate developers. Apple previously blocked a Coinbase Wallet update over NFT-sending features and temporarily removed the MetaMask wallet from the App Store, sparking concern across the Web3 community.
Caged in by these rules, clever developers have cooked up ways to get around Apple’s tollbooth.
The most common trick is the “Web2App” shuffle. You’ve seen it before: a social media ad sends you to a website to create an account and pay.
Only after you’ve paid are you told to download the app to use the service. Companies like Netflix and Spotify perfected this to dodge the 30% commission, but it adds an extra, sometimes annoying, step for users.
Others play pricing games, charging more inside the app to cover Apple’s fee while offering a cheaper price on their website. It works, but they have to be careful not to make customers feel like they’re being ripped off.
Apple also has a carve-out for “reader” apps like Kindle or Netflix, which let you access content you bought somewhere else.
Similarly, services that work on your laptop and phone can process payments on the web and simply grant you access inside the iOS app.
On the surface, Apple looks like it’s just playing defense, protecting its massive Services revenue.
But there’s plenty of evidence that it’s actually on offense, executing a long-term plan to control the next version of the internet.
The company has always cringed at the word “metaverse,” but CEO Tim Cook talks excitedly about Augmented Reality (AR).
This hints at a strategy to own the space where digital information overlays the real world — something Apple is very good at.
The clearest proof of this plan is the Apple Vision Pro. It’s not just a headset; Apple calls it a “spatial computer,” designed for immersive games and work.
By building the best piece of hardware to enter this new world, Apple is setting itself up to control the entire experience from the start. Web3 projects like the Victoria VR metaverse are already planning to launch on the device, a sign that these two worlds are bound to collide.
This is a classic Apple playbook. We saw it with the iPod and iTunes, and again with the iPhone and the App Store.
They watch a new technology bubble up, wait for others to make the first messy mistakes, then release a polished, simple, and closed system that just works.
By slowing down Web3 with its App Store rules, Apple is buying itself time to build its own “Appleverse.”
The open, and often wild, world of Web3 stands for everything Apple’s top-down philosophy opposes. But with courts and regulators chipping away at its walls, and developers refusing to back down, something has to give.
The next few years will show if the open internet can finally break into Apple’s garden, or if Apple will manage to once again shape a revolution in its own image.
