Apple Hit in Fortnite Battle: Court Says No to App Store Delay

Apple has lost a key legal bid to delay changes to its App Store rules, after a U.S. appeals court rejected the company’s request to pause a federal judge’s order.

The decision stems from Apple’s ongoing antitrust fight with Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that Apple must comply with a previous order requiring it to open up its App Store to more competition—even as it continues its appeal, reports Reuters.

Back in April, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in contempt for trying to sidestep an earlier injunction from 2021. That original ruling said Apple had to let developers direct users to other payment options outside of the App Store, which could offer cheaper alternatives.

In response, Apple introduced a 27% fee for off-platform purchases and limited where developers could place links—moves the judge said went against her order. On April 30, she told Apple to stop those practices and referred the company, along with one of its executives, to federal prosecutors for a possible criminal contempt investigation.

In response, Apple said in a statement, “We are disappointed with the decision not to stay the district court’s order, and we’ll continue to argue our case during the appeals process. As we’ve said before, we strongly disagree with the district court’s opinion.”

Epic Games did not respond to requests for comment, but in court filings, the company said Apple was trying to protect billions in revenue by ignoring the judge’s orders. Epic also claimed developers have started offering better deals and more consumer choices since the court began enforcing changes.

You can click here to learn how to download Fortnite for iOS in Canada, despite the game only being available in the US for now.