Apple faces a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) lawsuit in London. It was filed on September 3, 2026, at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which rules on competition disputes. The lawsuit over app tracking rules claims that Apple imposes stricter conditions on external developers than on its own advertising services.
Lawsuit against Apple over app tracking rules
At the heart of the dispute is the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, which Apple introduced on April 26, 2021. Under it, third-party apps must ask users for consent to be tracked. The claimants argue that the rules burden outside developers more than the company's own services. The case was reported by startupfortune.com, insideretail.us, and hausfeld.com.
Who filed the lawsuit and why
The lawsuit is brought on behalf of thousands of British app developers, through the entity ATT Collective Action Limited. This is stated by hausfeld.com. That outlet also cited data from the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, according to which 70% of small businesses in the United Kingdom have fewer than 10 employees.
According to insideretail.us, Ann Pope said: "This step is important to protect the rights of British businesses that depend on Apple, to ensure that the rules Apple applies are fair, and to compensate for the losses that British companies have suffered." She told hausfeld.com: "Privacy is an important protection for consumers, but it must be applied fairly and in a way that ensures businesses of all sizes can compete on equal terms."
Follows earlier App Store dispute
The new case follows a tribunal ruling from last October, in which Apple had to pay around £1.5 billion in App Store commissions. The company is appealing that decision. Before the current lawsuit can be heard, it must first be certified.