Apple separately discloses App Store revenue, helping explain why even a modest change in the relationship among Apple, developers and customers matters.
According to reporting by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple CEO John Ternus and Eddy Cue want the App Store to produce more recurring revenue from an engine estimated at roughly $30 billion a year. Gurman also reported that Phil Schiller was uncomfortable with that direction. Those reports are unconfirmed, and Apple has not announced a new monetization plan or specific fee levers.
The legal room for maneuver in the United States is constrained. In April 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California held Apple in contempt and barred it from enforcing a commission on purchases made through developers’ external links. The Ninth Circuit later remanded aspects of the injunction.
The Supreme Court granted Apple’s petition in June 2026 in Apple Inc. v. Epic Games Inc. (No. 25-1311); the case remains pending, and the Court has not decided the merits.
That leaves leadership with a narrow communications and policy challenge. Apple can discuss the store’s economics, but any concrete change to link-outs, commissions or other terms would face litigation and developer scrutiny. For now, the reported push for more margin remains a report—not a published Apple plan.
Schiller’s step-back makes the debate more visible, not resolved. Cue’s return places a longtime services executive near the business, while Ternus and Oliver represent the newer operating structure. The next material signal will be an Apple announcement or a court ruling, not an inference from the personnel chart.