Hello followers! Today, let’s talk about a major development in Apple’s App Store world — the court has blocked Apple’s attempt to delay a new ruling about payment fees.
Recently, a U.S. court refused to grant Apple a stay on a decision that forces it to change how it charges developers. Basically, Apple can’t anymore charge developers a fee when users click links outside the App Store to make payments.
This means Apple might lose some revenue since they can’t earn fees from external payments. The court explained that they didn’t see enough reason to delay the ruling, deeming a stay unnecessary.
Tim Sweeney from Epic Games praised the decision, saying it marks the end of what he calls the “Apple tax”. He even shared hopes for next week’s WWDC to become a celebration of digital freedom.
A judge previously ruled in favor of Epic, highlighting that Apple was violating a 2021 injunction by forcing certain pricing rules. Apple tried to counter with emergency motions and appeals, but these efforts were unsuccessful.
As a result, companies like Spotify and Amazon are now updating their apps to allow payments outside of the Apple ecosystem, removing the 27% fee critics used to criticize.
This legal shift comes at a crucial time as Apple prepares for its developer conference, and despite the battle, Apple reported generating over 1.3 trillion dollars in sales in 2024, much of which didn’t generate commission fees.