The US Supreme Court has upheld the verdict of the case between Apple and Epic, with a disadvantage in favor of the ‘apple company’.
According to 9to5Mac, the US Supreme Court rejected Apple’s appeal, forcing the company to allow application developers to link to external payment systems.
The results of the 2021 Apple v. Epic trial saw Apple win on almost every front, except the judge’s ruling forcing Apple to relax its App Store anti-roping policy and allow publishers to Developers like Epic Games to integrate links to alternative payment systems in their apps.
Apple delayed the implementation of this ruling by filing an appeal. But recently, the court refused to consider Apple’s appeal with the original ruling to be maintained. The App Store has faced a lot of regulatory pressure in recent years, as governments aimed at Apple’s monopoly over the iPhone software ecosystem.
Apple charged a commission of 15 – 30% on all transactions through their in-app purchase system. The company also prohibits apps from informing customers about alternative payment methods that may exist.
The court’s decision will allow apps to let users know they have other payment options, with a direct link to the external website. If customers choose to use alternative payment methods, developers will be able to capture more revenue because they will not have to pay Apple’s commission.
However, Apple can still ask developers to share the commission. For example, in the Netherlands, dating apps are allowed to use alternative payment methods but Apple still requires developers to pay a commission.