Epic Games Loses Again in Battle With Apple Over App Store Rules

Epic Games and Apple have been fighting over Apple's App Store rules since 2020, when ‌Epic Games‌ opted to blatantly violate the guidelines that prevent apps from avoiding the in-app purchase system. ‌Epic Games‌ did so with the aim of kicking off a long legal battle, but it has not gone in Epic's favor.

app store blue banner epic 1
In 2021, the judge overseeing the case sided with Apple, concluding that Apple was not violating antitrust law and was not a monopolist. ‌Epic Games‌ almost immediately appealed the ruling and claimed that the original court "reached the wrong answer" and "made multiple legal errors." Unfortunately for ‌Epic Games‌, the appeals court today sided with Apple, upholding the original ruling.

According to Bloomberg, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Epic's claims that the ‌App Store‌ rules violate federal antitrust law by not allowing for third-party app marketplaces. This is largely a win for Apple, but the court did also uphold the original court's decision on Apple's anti-steering rules.

Apple was ordered to implement ‌App Store‌ changes that will allow developers to use metadata buttons, links, and other calls to action to direct customers to purchasing mechanisms outside of the ‌App Store‌, paving the way for developers to implement alternate payment options.

"There is a lively and important debate about the role played in our economy and democracy by online transaction platforms with market power," said the appeals court. "Our job as a federal court of appeals, however, is not to resolve that debate -- nor could we even attempt to do so. Instead, in this decision, we faithfully applied existing precedent to the facts."

Apple has been able to put off making App Store updates until the conclusion of the appeals trial, as Apple had appealed the portion of the ruling that did not go in its favor. Apple will presumably need to make changes to the ‌App Store‌ at some point in the near future to comply with the court's ruling.

According to Apple, the proposed ‌App Store‌ changes could "upset the careful balance between developers and customers provided by the ‌‌‌‌App Store‌‌‌‌," resulting in irreparable harm to Apple and consumers. Apple also said that it needed time to figure out the "complex and rapidly evolving legal, technological, and economic issues" that the update would cause.

In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said that the decision reaffirms its "resounding victory" against ‌Epic Games‌.

Today's decision reaffirms Apple's resounding victory in this case, with nine of ten claims having been decided in Apple's favor. For the second time in two years, a federal court has ruled that Apple abides by antitrust laws at the state and federal levels. The App Store continues to promote competition, drive innovation, and expand opportunity, and we're proud of its profound contributions to both users and developers around the world. We respectfully disagree with the court's ruling on the one remaining claim under state law and are considering further review.

Though Apple said that it support the court's decision, the company does disagree with the ruling on the ‌App Store‌ changes, and says that it is "considering further review."

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Announces 13 Automakers Planning to Offer iPhone Car Keys

Friday June 27, 2025 11:42 am PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple said that 13...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
anker power bank recall

PSA: Anker Recalls Multiple Power Banks Due to Fire Risk

Friday June 27, 2025 4:16 pm PDT by
Popular accessory maker Anker this month launched two separate recalls for its power banks, some of which may be a fire risk. The first recall affects Anker PowerCore 10000 Power Banks sold between June 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 in the United States. Anker says that these power banks have a "potential issue" with the battery inside, which can lead to overheating, melting of plastic...
Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Introduces New Perk for Apple Customers

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Chase this week announced a series of new perks for its premium Sapphire Reserve credit card, and one of them is for a pair of Apple services. Specifically, the credit card now offers complimentary annual subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, a value of up to $250 per year. If you are already paying for Apple TV+ and/or Apple Music directly through Apple, those subscriptions will...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

Think|Different Avatar
29 months ago
Incoming 1/48 Twitter "Thread" from Tim Sweeney
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
29 months ago

This guy, annoying??

[MEDIA=twitter]1649779930996129792[/MEDIA]
What in the world is he talking about ? sounds like a high school drama. ?

Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
29 months ago
Epic Fail! Epic games just need to give it up. It's a lost battle from their end. When will Epic games learn to realize?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
29 months ago
If anyone beats Apple I'd want someone other than Epic or Spotify because those guys are so annoying.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eicca Avatar
29 months ago
The policy may suck, but Epic are the ones that violated it. So the fault lies on them.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcnallym Avatar
29 months ago
Personally I buy Apple precisely because it has the walled garden.
If people want what is on Android, then BUY AN ANDROID and stop complaining about Apple restrictions.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)