United States District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers delivered a notable setback to Apple’s in-app purchases Friday morning. In a blow to the tech giant, Apple cannot prohibit developers from including external purchase buttons in the App Store. In other words, Apple will be required to allow apps to offer external purchasing options on their store pages. According tothe ruling, this change is scheduled to take effect July 08, 2025.
The ruling provides more context forthe battleof Epic Games versus Apple. Because Gonzalez Rogers ruled in favor of another claim brought on by Apple against Epic Games, the gaming giant will be required to pay Apple $3.6 million. This ruling harks back to their lengthy Fortnite fight, in which Epic offered direct external purchasing options in exchange for in-game discounts.
“Today, the court has affirmed what we’ve known all along: The App Store is not in violation of antitrust law. As the court recognized, ‘success is not illegal,” said an Apple representative in a statement toThe Verge. “We remain committed to ensuring the App Store is a safe and trusted marketplace that supports a thriving developer community and more than 2.1 million U.S. jobs, and where the rules apply equally to everyone.”
This latest ruling follows Apple previously agreeing to make changes to theApp Store updatesfor U.S. developers, as well as aSouth Korean rulingwhere both Apple and Google were required to open up their app stores to alternate payment methods in the country.
Analysts are divided over the real outcome of the ruling, with some calling it abig loss for consumer protection, and others saying the ruling is largely in favor of Apple aside from the changes to the app store. Regardless, Epic hastold NPRthat it plans to appeal the decision, and Apple is “considering all legal options.”
