Judge Rules Apple Must Make It Easier For Gamers To Shop Outside The App Store

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/10/ [login to see] /apple-app-store-epic-games-fortnite-verdict
A federal judge ordered Apple on Friday to crack open the tightly controlled App Store and "steer" people using apps to payment methods other than Apple's own processer, which usually collects a 30% commission on app purchases.

The decision, by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, is a major blow to Apple and could force the tech giant to revamp its entire business model for apps on iPhones and iPads. It is the most significant strike yet against Apple's commission, something critics call "the Apple tax."

Gonzalez Rogers declared that Apple is violating the law by blocking consumers from accessing other payment methods. She wrote that Apple's policies "hide critical information from consumers and illegally stifle consumer choice." Along with what she called the tech giant's "incipient antitrust violations," she ordered that Apple make changes within 90 days.

But the court did not go as far as Fortnite maker Epic Games, which sued Apple, had hoped in loosening Apple's grip on a big part of the $100 billion mobile gaming economy.

Moreover, Gonzalez Rogers ordered Epic to pay Apple a fee for violating App Store policies last year. Epic had introduced its own payment method within Fortnite. Apple kicked it out of the App Store, setting the legal battle into motion.