This week the fate of U.S. link-out economics moved to the Supreme Court, while the UK opened a fresh regulatory front on steering and NFC access. The through-line: the rules governing out-of-app payments are being rewritten in courtrooms and consultations on both sides of the Atlantic, with near-term procedural decisions that publishers should track closely.
U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear Apple's App Store "contempt" appeal
On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court granted certiorari on Apple's appeal of the ruling that found the company in contempt for how it implemented the 2021 Epic v. Apple injunction. After the 2021 order forced Apple to relax anti-steering rules and permit in-app links to outside payment options, Apple complied but imposed a 12–27% commission on link-outs (versus its standard 15–30%); combined with payment-processor fees, developers got little to no discount, so few adopted the link system. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in willful contempt in April 2025, barring any fees on U.S. link-outs, and the Ninth Circuit upheld that finding. Apple argues the original order didn't prohibit a link-out commission and that a contempt ruling based on the "spirit" of an order is a "recipe for abuse"; it also asked the Court to limit the injunction to Epic only, a request the Court rejected. The case will be heard in the term beginning October 2026.
Why it matters: This is the most consequential U.S. case for web/DTC and link-out monetization: the current fee-free link-out regime is what makes Merchant-of-Record link-outs so economically attractive. A reversal could restore Apple's ability to charge a link-out commission and compress DTC margins, while an affirmance would entrench the fee-free status quo nationwide for all developers.
Sources: Supreme Court Will Hear Apple's Appeal in Epic Games App Store Fight — MacRumors, Supreme Court Takes Up Apple Appeal in Epic Games Fight — PYMNTS.com
UK CMA proposes conduct requirements to open up steering and NFC on Apple/Google
On June 30, 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority opened a consultation on new conduct requirements for Apple and Google under the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. The core proposal would remove restrictions on steering, letting UK developers direct customers to off-platform payment options and bypass mandatory store fees. The CMA says any steering fees must be justified by an evidence-led, cost-and-value framework, be lower than current app-store charges, with savings passed to consumers or reinvested. Separately, the CMA is designing a potential requirement to open iOS NFC access to developers, enabling third-party contactless/wallet payments, account-to-account, and stablecoin flows. Consultation deadlines are July 28 for steering and July 21 for NFC. The release also flags that on June 24 Google announced new global Play Store terms — allowing steering with certain restrictions plus revised fees — taking effect in the UK on June 30, which the CMA will assess.
Why it matters: Mandated steering with capped or "fair" fees plus opened NFC access would materially expand room for DTC web shops, external checkout, and alternative in-app wallets in the UK — a direct tailwind for MoR-based out-of-app flows and a template other regulators may follow.
Apple asks the district court to pause Epic remand proceedings pending SCOTUS review
Following the cert grant, Apple filed a motion to stay the Northern District of California remand proceedings — the proceedings in which Judge Gonzalez Rogers would decide what commission, if any, Apple may charge on external-link purchases. Apple argues the remand's sole basis is the Ninth Circuit's affirmed contempt finding, so if the Supreme Court reverses or vacates it, a complex remand proceeding to approve Apple's commission rate on linked-out purchases would be needless and prejudicial. Epic's response is due July 10 and Apple's reply July 13. If the court denies the stay, Apple must file its external-link commission proposal within 24 hours of the ruling; if granted, the fee determination stays frozen until the Supreme Court decides.
Why it matters: The near-term question for U.S. link-out economics is whether and when Apple can reintroduce a link-out commission. A granted stay preserves today's fee-free regime and favorable DTC/MoR margins through the SCOTUS term, while a denial could put a new Apple link-out rate on the table within days — so watch the July 10–13 window when planning U.S. web-shop pricing.
Sources: Apple asks judge to pause Epic Games case during Supreme Court review — 9to5Mac (Marcus Mendes)
The takeaway
The week's pattern is that out-of-app payment rules are now moving on two clocks: a fast procedural one (the July 10–13 Epic stay window that governs whether Apple can propose a U.S. link-out commission soon) and a slower structural one (SCOTUS in October, the UK CMA consultations closing in late July). For publishers building DTC and link-out flows, the fee-free U.S. regime remains the current baseline but is no longer guaranteed, while the UK is opening new room. From an MoR vantage point, the practical move is to keep web-shop economics flexible enough to absorb a possible link-out fee, and to watch the UK steering and NFC consultations as a signal of where alternative checkout expands next.