Apple plans to change its U.S. App Store rules in accordance with a ruling from the U.S Northern District of California, Apple said in a statement to MacRumors. The company does plan to appeal the decision, though.
"We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal," reads Apple's statement.
Apple was found to be in violation of a 2021 injunction that targeted its anti-steering App Store rules, and the company has been ordered to comply with that injunction immediately. The court has provided instructions on the changes that Apple needs to make.
- Apple cannot prevent developers from adding links or buttons that direct customers to make purchases outside of the App Store.
- Apple cannot collect any fee or commission for purchases that consumers make outside of an app, nor can it track, audit, or monitor consumer activity.
- Apple cannot control the language, formatting, placement, or style that developers use to direct customers to purchases outside of an app.
- Apple cannot interfere with consumers' choice to leave an app with anything other than a neutral message about visiting a third-party site, so no "scare screens."
- Apple is prohibited from excluding certain categories of apps and developers from obtaining link access.
- Apple cannot prevent developers from using dynamic links that bring consumers to a specific product page in a logged-in state, nor can it prevent apps from providing product details, user details, or other information that refers to the user intending to make a purchase.
In the order, the court said that it "will not tolerate further delays" and that the ruling is effective immediately, so Apple will need to make these changes imminently.
