Apple and Google's app-store businesses are coming under pressure — and the companies could end up l

Apple and Google earn big money through the commissions they charge for sales made through their smartphone app stores. Right now, they take a 30% cut of most sales made through their stores. But that rate could soon plunge, the Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter said in a research note. The companies face regulatory and legal challenges over the rates they charge, as well as growing pushback from developers, Schachter noted. If Apple and Google were forced to cut their rates, it could cost...