Apple Abandons 30% Fee on External Links

It's another day in the ongoing Epic vs Apple saga, and it looks like the iOS giant may soon have to abandon its controversial 30% commission on external payment links outside the App Store. This development stems from a significant ruling in the long-standing legal battle that many thought had concluded long ago.

What does this mean for consumers and developers? Essentially, Apple's position as the victor in the original Epic vs Apple case has been overturned. The dispute began when Epic Games' CEO, Tim Sweeney, enabled direct in-app purchases for Fortnite at a significant discount, bypassing Apple's payment system.

Previously, Apple had to comply with similar rulings in the EU by removing fees and restrictions on external linking. However, the U.S. had been more favorable towards Apple until now.

Linking UpUnder the new ruling, Apple is prohibited from:

• Charging fees on purchases made outside of an app
• Restricting developers' ability to place or format links to external payment options
• Limiting the use of 'calls to action' such as banners that highlight potential savings
• Excluding certain apps or developers from these benefits
• Using 'scare screens' to deter users from making external purchases
• Anything other than neutral messaging when informing users they are navigating to a third-party site

While Epic may have lost some skirmishes along the way, it appears to have won the broader conflict. Apple has announced plans to appeal this decision, but overturning the ruling seems unlikely given the current judicial stance.

With the Epic Games Store for mobile already established on Android and iOS in the EU, and on Android in the U.S., the significance of the iOS App Store may diminish over time.