Apple Under Fire: Epic Trial Exposes App Store Noncompliance

May 1, 2025, 8:20 am

The legal battle between Apple and Epic Games heats up as a federal judge lambasts Apple for failing to comply with mandated App Store reforms. In separate rulings, the court highlighted deliberate falsehoods about its 27% commission fee, setting the stage for potential further legal and regulatory backlash.

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• Apple Faces Judicial Wrath: Noncompliance & Lies (7)
• Epic Launches Developer Alternatives: Bypassing App Store Fees (4)
• Fortnite's Return: Gaming Icon Reclaims iOS (2)
• Lobbying Moves: Tech Rivals United Against Platform Dominance (1)
• All Other Stories

Apple Faces Judicial Wrath: Noncompliance & Lies

techdirt.com / Judge In Apple / Epic Case Is Spitting Mad At Apple’s Willful Contempt

Back in 2021, Apple mostly won the antitrust case that Epic brought against it, and the Ninth Circuit largely agreed. The court rejected most claims about Apple’s App Store being an illegal monopoly. The company just had to make one small change: let developers tell users they could make purchases…

gizmodo.com / Federal Judge Hits Apple Exec With Criminal Referral Over ‘Obvious Lies’

Now, Apple and top executive, Alex Roman, have been referred for criminal contempt proceedings.

techcrunch.com / Read the juiciest bits from the court ruling against Apple over its anticompetitive App Store practices

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is pissed off at Apple. Really, really pissed off. In Rogers’ newly released 80-page decision, she took Apple and its executives to task for defying the court’s orders in its original case with Fortnite maker Epic Games. Though Apple largely won that round, as it was…

Epic Launches Developer Alternatives: Bypassing App Store Fees

appleinsider.com / Epic Games Store Webshops launches to help iOS developers offer out-of-app purchases

Following Apple's sanctioning for violating an injunction to remove anti-steering measures, Epic Games is launching Webshops to make it easier for third-party developers to handle out-of-app purchases for iOS apps.The Epic Games Store is available in the EU. Epic is seemingly having a very good…

theverge.com / Epic is offering developers an alternative to Apple’s in-app purchases

Epic Games is making some big changes to its store to provide an enticing alternative to Apple’s in-app purchases for developers. The company is announcing the changes less than a day after a major court ruling that mandates that Apple can’t collect fees on purchases made outside of apps or…

techcrunch.com / Epic Games is launching webshops to allow developers to circumvent app store fees after new ruling

Epic Games is taking a victory lap. After notching a big win against Apple in a years-long legal dispute, Epic announced that its Epic Games Store will allow developers to open webshops, which can offer players out-of-app purchases to circumvent fees from Apple and Google. Epic has been in a long…

Fortnite's Return: Gaming Icon Reclaims iOS

techcrunch.com / Fortnite plans return to the US iOS App Store next week

Epic Games’ mega-popular Fortnite is returning to the US iOS App Store next week after a surprising ruling in a years-long legal battle with Apple. The dispute between Epic and Apple began in 2020, when Apple removed Epic Games from the iOS store. Because Apple takes 30% of all in-app purchases,…

gamespot.com / Fortnite Returning To US iOS Soon After Judge Slams Apple For "Insubordination"

Since 2020, Epic Games and Apple have been engaged in a legal battle over Apple's use of the App Store. The initial ruling came in 2021, and after a bout of appeals, Apple declared "resounding victory" in April 2023. It seems that declaration may have been hasty, as the judge in the case has filed…

Lobbying Moves: Tech Rivals United Against Platform Dominance

theverge.com / Meta and Spotify are teaming up to lobby against Apple and Google

Meta has joined forces with Spotify, Garmin, Match, and others to form a lobby group to represent their interests, especially as they come into conflict with those of Apple and Google. The group’s first order of business is arguing that age verification should be the responsibility of app stores,…

All Other Stories

macrumors.com / Spotify Submits iOS App Update With Out-of-App Purchase Options

Spotify today submitted an app update to Apple that will include information on Spotify plan costs and options to subscribe through weblinks without using the in-app purchase system. Spotify will not need to pay a fee to Apple when customers subscribe to the service using alternate payment methods…

theverge.com / Spotify already has an app ready to test Apple’s new rules

Spotify says it has submitted an update to its iOS app that would, among other things, let US customers use payment options that aren’t Apple’s, according to a blog post. The update submission follows Wednesday’s major Epic Games v. Apple ruling that forces Apple not to take a cut of payments on…

androidheadlines.com / Epic Games announces 0% revenue share model & app store workarounds for developers

The post Epic Games announces 0% revenue share model & app store workarounds for developers appeared first on Android Headlines.

techcrunch.com / Stripe shows iOS developers how to avoid Apple’s App Store commission

Payments processing software provider Stripe is ready to help iOS app developers bypass Apple’s cut of App Store transactions. Following yesterday’s ruling in the Apple-Epic antitrust trial, where Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers outright shamed Apple for not permitting external payment links in apps…

androidheadlines.com / Apple Claimed To Be Unaware Of Its App Store's Profit Margins

The post Apple Claimed To Be Unaware Of Its App Store's Profit Margins appeared first on Android Headlines.

macrumors.com / Patreon Planning iOS App Update to Skirt In-App Purchases

Patreon plans to update its iOS app with new functionality that will allow creators to accept payments from followers without having to pay Apple's in-app purchase fees, a Patreon spokesperson told The Verge. This is a huge moment for creators and their businesses. The iOS app is the number…

theverge.com / Patreon will update its iPhone app to sidestep Apple’s payment system

Patreon is planning to submit an update to its iOS app that will let creators accept payments outside of Apple’s payment system, spokesperson Adiya Taylor tells The Verge. The planned update follows yesterday’s major Epic Games v. Apple ruling that blocks Apple from collecting fees on payments made…

siliconangle.com / Court finds that Apple breached 2021 injunction with App Store rules

A federal court on Wednesday found Apple Inc. to be in breach of a 2021 injunction that had ordered it to ease the App Store’s terms of service. Both rulings focus on the restrictions that the iPhone maker applies to in-app transactions. Apple must now revise several of those policies. “We will…

kotaku.com / Judge Says Apple Exec Lied In Big Fortnite Case And Just Blew The App Store Wide Open

Epic Games v. Apple judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has ruled that, effective immediately, Apple can no longer take a cut from purchases made outside apps and has blocked the tech giant from restricting how developers can point people to third-party payment options. The judge was also not happy that…

winbuzzer.com / Epic Games Store Rolls Out 0% Fee Tier, Webshops Following Apple’s Court Defeat

Epic Games has detailed new store features including webshops and a 0% fee tier up to $1M, enabled by a court ruling against Apple's App Store restrictions. The post Epic Games Store Rolls Out 0% Fee Tier, Webshops Following Apple’s Court Defeat appeared first on WinBuzzer.

permalink / 10 stories from sources in 2 days ago #apple #antitrust #ios #apps