Epic Claims Apple Has Failed to Comply with Court’s App Store Orders

Amidst a prolonged legal battle, Epic Games has accused Apple of failing to adhere to a court order to open its App Store to external payment options (via Bloomberg).

Despite Apple’s assurance to include links for third-party apps to process payments externally, Epic claims non-compliance.

Following the US Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene in the Epic-Apple feud, Apple announced its willingness to allow third-party apps in the US to link to external payment portals.

However, the tech giant continues to demand a commission of up to 27% from developers for purchases made outside the App Store.

In a filing on Tuesday, Epic expressed disagreement with Apple’s claimed compliance and vowed to detail the “non-compliance” in an upcoming submission. Apple is yet to respond to this latest development.

The Supreme Court decision upheld a 2023 appeals court ruling that absolved Apple of federal antitrust law violations but found it in violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law. The ruling highlighted Apple’s restriction on developers discussing alternate, potentially cheaper payment systems.

Since Epic sued Apple in 2020, the tech giant has been tweaking its App Store operations to address developer concerns. The feud ignited when Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store due to Epic’s attempt to circumvent a 30% fee on in-app purchases.

At the same time, Apple is pursuing a court order for Epic to reimburse $73 million in legal expenses for breaching their developer agreement.