Apple’s grip over App Store payments loosened further on Wednesday. According to a report by Reuters, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied the tech giant’s emergency application to halt sweeping changes to its App Store policies. The ruling, stemming from Apple’s long-running legal feud with Epic Games, clears the path for developers to bypass Apple’s in-app payment system — and its hefty 15–30% commission.
As per the report, the court stated Apple had not justified a stay, dealing a significant blow to its App Store business model. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers had previously ruled Apple violated her original 2021 order by continuing to limit how developers could direct users to external payment methods.
That order is now in full effect. Amazon and Spotify, among others, have already updated their apps to include external payment links. For instance, Amazon’s Kindle app now sports a prominent “Get Book” button that redirects users to Amazon.com — a direct sidestep of Apple’s commission system, according to a report by CNBC.
What Apple has to say
The company maintains it offers developers a valuable platform and a secure user experience. In a statement shared with 9to5Mac, Apple said, “We are disappointed with the decision not to stay the district court’s order, and we’ll continue to argue our case during the appeals process. As we’ve said before, we strongly disagree with the district court’s opinion.”
But Judge Rogers went further in April, expanding her original ruling and accusing Apple of misleading the court. For Epic Games, which has spearheaded the push against Apple’s closed ecosystem, the decision marks a major milestone. “The long national nightmare of the Apple tax is ended,” CEO Tim Sweeney wrote on social media. “May next week’s WWDC be the Apple-led celebration of freedom that developers and users have long deserved,” Sweeney added in his post on X.
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