App Store

The hits keep coming for Apple and its App Store policies. A new class-action lawsuit filed today alleges that Apple “penalized developers who sought to use linked payments with fees that rendered it economically non-viable.

The lawsuit follows an injunction handed down last week, in which Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers barred Apple from charging commission or otherwise interfering with developers’ ability to direct customers to payment methods outside of the App Store.

Last week, Apple was handed a court decision in its Epic Games case that forced a major App Store rule change, and now the company has filed its notice of appeal.

Apple has officially approved the first app with links to external payment options in the United States. After submitting its update to Apple yesterday afternoon, Spotify says that Apple has approved a new version of the app that takes advantage of the latest changes to the App Store Guidelines.

Apple has officially updated the App Store Guidelines to comply with the injunction handed down yesterday in its legal case with Epic Games. According to the new App Store rules, “there is no prohibition on an app including buttons, external links, or other calls to action” in the United States.

Despite Apple reversing its stance on console emulators in the App Store a year ago, GameCube and Wii emulators have largely remained absent from the iPhone and iPad — until now, perhaps.

Less than 24 hours after Apple’s legal defeat over its App Store model, Epic Games is wasting no time. For starters, Fortnite is set to return to the iOS App Store in the U.S. next week. Under the court’s order, Apple can no longer block apps from directing users to the web to purchase digital content. I’s also barred from collecting a 27% commission on those web-based sales that originate from App Store apps.

Meanwhile, Epic Games has announced two new business moves — one of which takes direct aim at Apple’s in-app purchase revenue model.

When the US Supreme Court upheld the court ruling in the Apple vs Epic Games case, I said that the iPhone maker’s response was clearly made in bad faith, and was effectively giving the middle finger to the judge in the case.

The judge has now officially confirmed this view. She has not only directly called out Apple for ignoring her ruling, but said that a senior Apple exec lied under oath, and referred the matter for prosecution …

One more thing about Apple’s App Store loss to Epic Games: the timing of the court’s decision couldn’t be more pointed.

Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney has announced that the company will submit Fortnite to the iOS App Store in the U.S. next week. The move follows a court decision that ruled against Apple’s App Store practices. However, Fortnite’s return isn’t a sure thing yet…

The latest twist in the long-running legal fight between Apple and Epic Games has delivered a major blow to the company’s App Store operations. In a ruling issued Tuesday, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in willful violation of a 2021 injunction designed to stop the company’s anticompetitive App Store practices.

According to the 80-page order, Apple “thwarted the injunction’s goals” by imposing new fees and obstacles that continued to stifle competition, despite clear instructions from the court. The judge didn’t just sanction Apple — she referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for possible criminal contempt proceedings.

Apple was yesterday fined €500M ($570M) by the EU for its App Store policies. Apple has now responded, stating that it is being unfairly targeted, with the White House also weighing in to describe fines levied against Apple and Meta as “extortion.”

Update: While there had earlier appeared some softenting in position on both sides of the antitrust dispute, Apple has now told us that it will appeal the ruling – see the end of the piece …

Apple has today received a 500 million euro fine (about $570 million) from the EU commission under the Digital Markets Act. The commission said the fine relates to Apple’s App Store anti-steering policies. It is being forced to make changes, or else face further fines.

The DMA requires that app developers should be able to inform customers of alternative purchasing options outside of the App Store, and direct customers to those alternative payment options, free of charge. Apple’s rules currently do not allow for this …

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has turned up the dial to 11 on his anti-Apple rhetoric, calling the iPhone maker a “gangster-style business” which has concluded that “crime pays.”

He said that both Apple and Google are guilty of the same practices, including using scare tactics to make iPhone and Android users afraid to install the Epic Games Store …

iOS 18.4 launched earlier this week with a ton of new features and changes, including two App Store additions that should make downloading apps and updates just a little bit nicer of an experience than before.

At least five VPN apps in the App Store were found to have links to the Chinese military, according to a new report today. Three of them have racked up more than a million downloads.

A subsidiary of one of the Chinese companies behind the apps is currently hiring for a role in “monitoring and analysing platform data,” with a familiarity with American culture listed as a job requirement …

Apple and Google will become legally responsible for age verification of app store users in Utah, after the App Store Accountability Act was signed into law. It takes effect on May 7, giving the tech giants a little time to implement it.

Both companies have opposed the legislation, but similar laws look set to follow in at least eight more US states …

Apple has been facing scrutiny in Brazil over the App Store. Earlier this month, a Brazilian court ruled that Apple would have 90 days to allow sideloading on iOS for iPhone users in Brazil – but things are about to change. That’s because another judge has now ruled that Apple won’t have to implement the requested changes, at least for now.

Apple has been facing increased antitrust scrutiny in Germany since a new law came into effect, and the company has now lost its latest appeal.

The Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) had argued that it should have the right to directly order Apple to make changes to the way that it runs the App Store, and a court has now granted it this right …

After the EU forced Apple to implement major changes to how iOS and the App Store work for European users, other countries have also conducted their own antitrust investigations against the company. Now the Brazilian court has ruled that Apple has 90 days to allow sideloading on iOS for iPhone users in Brazil.

In late 2022, initial payments for the Small Developer Assistance Fund started going out, with each eligible US developer receiving at least $1000 – up to 4x the projected minimum payout. A second round of payouts begun toward the end of 2023, and now the third and final round of payments started going out this week.

At least nine US states are considering legislation that would make app store owners like Apple and Google responsible for age verification before giving access to apps with minimum age requirements. Currently the legal responsibility lies with developers.

The issue is most applicable to social media apps, which typically have a minimum age of 13, and is an approach advocated by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg …