Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to comply with a California court ruling that ordered the company to immediately stop charging commissions for purchases that were not paid for through the App Store. As 9to5Mac notes, the most notable change in the guidelines is that there is no longer a ban on “buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchase mechanisms other than in-app purchases” when it comes to an app on the US storefront. Additionally, developers no longer need to request permission from Apple to be able to offer in-app purchases via external links in apps for the US store.
In the section that states that certain apps, such as reading apps and apps that sell goods and services, cannot encourage users to choose third-party in-app purchases, Apple added that this prohibition does not apply to apps in the US store. “The app review guidelines have been updated to comply with a U.S. court ruling regarding buttons, external links, and other calls to action in apps,” Apple said in a statement.
These changes are the result of a recent ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who found that Apple had violated its 2021 ruling in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit. Then she ordered Apple to allow developers to redirect users to other payment systems, which would allow them to avoid paying the company a 30 percent discount.
However, Apple still took a 27 percent cut on external purchases, prompting Epic Games to accuse the company of non-compliance in a new lawsuit last year. Apple also showed users a “fear screen” when they tried to make external purchases, discouraging them from using third-party payment systems. In addition to ordering Apple to stop charging fees for purchases made outside the App Store, Gonzalez Rogers also prohibited Apple from creating rules that would prevent developers from providing customers with buttons and links for external payments.
In response, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite will return to iOS next week. He also said that the company would bring Fortnite back to iOS for everyone and end all legal proceedings in this regard if Apple adopts a commission-free policy worldwide, but it seems that this will not happen for now. Other companies are also looking to introduce updates that would allow them to bypass Apple’s commission for external payments. One of them is Spotify, which has announced that it has already introduced an update that will allow users in the US to pay outside the App Store.
