Apple Failed to Comply With App Store Court Order, Epic Tells Judge

Apple has failed to properly comply with a court order that requires non-App Store purchasing options be made available to third-party developers, Epic Games has told a judge (via Bloomberg).

iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue
The Supreme Court earlier this month declined to hear separate requests from both Apple and ‌‌Epic Games‌‌ in their three-year-long lawsuit against each other regarding App Store rules. As a result, Apple is able to continue to disallow third-party payment processing within apps, but it must allow developers to direct customers to a non-App Store purchasing option for digital goods.

Apple has since made changes to its U.S. App Store policies, and now allows apps to feature a single link to a developer website that leads to an in-app purchase alternative. However, Apple plans to continue to collect a 12 to 27 percent commission on content bought this way. The commission applies to transactions for digital goods and services that take place on a developers website within seven days after a user taps through an External Purchase Link to an external website.

Epic likely wishes to contest this aspect of the change in particular, as well as Apple's implementation of them. ‌Epic Games‌‌ CEO Tim Sweeney on January 16 took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize the‌ changes as soon as they were announced, and said that it would dispute Apple's "bad-faith compliance plan" in District Court.


According to Bloomberg, Epic said in a filing Tuesday that it "disputes Apple's compliance" with previously ordered changes and said it will explain the "non-compliance" in a forthcoming filing.

Meanwhile, Apple wants ‌Epic Games‌ to pay $73.4 million in legal fees after Apple won the antitrust case brought against it by the North Carolinian games maker. Apple bases the claim on Epic's original violation of its developer agreement, when its Fortnite game offered an in-app payment alternative on the ‌‌App Store‌‌. Epic previously accepted that it would owe damages if it lost its antitrust claims against Apple. Now that it has, Apple has issued the bill.

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Top Rated Comments

Timo_Existencia Avatar
18 months ago

Why should Apple be allowed to charge Epic for transactions made outside of the Apple ecosystem? It's not like Apple allows them to just go and use a different store to sell their "goods"! Also, what are they (devs) paying the 99 bucks for? The whole thing is kind of ridiculous. Apple needs App Developers and App Developers need Apple. Both are nothing without each other.
So you think Epic should be allowed to have their apps hosted on Apple servers, downloaded from Apple servers, available in the Apple App Store, using Apple API's and development tools...all for $99/year? Do you run a business?
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pmasters Avatar
18 months ago

I agree with Epic. I don’t understand how this is different ?
Epic just wants a way to have Apple subsidize their software and delivery and keep all of the profits for themselves. They are pissed they could not cut Apple out of the profit loop.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
m4mario Avatar
18 months ago
The change perfectly complies with the court order. The court said Apple has rights to collect fees for using its platforms for app development. The court also ordered Apple to provide a way to allow payment methods other the App Store payment mechanism. This change is perfect compliance.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Timo_Existencia Avatar
18 months ago
Here's all you need to know about this case.

1) Epic wants something that Apple provides.
2) Epic doesn't want to pay for it.
3) Apple is a business.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pmasters Avatar
18 months ago
Epic should go pound sand. Don't like? Create your own phone and OS and then run **** the way you want. Use another company's software for free and pocket profit is ********.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darngooddesign Avatar
18 months ago
Epic, who have been losing an extremely expensive legal battle with Apple, don't like something they did. Shocking!!!!

LOL
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)