Apple’s long-running legal battle with Epic Games has finally led to a major shift. Following a significant ruling by a U.S. federal judge on Tuesday, the tech giant is updating its App Store guidelines to comply with the court’s decision.
In a brief post on its Developer website, Apple announced updates to its App Review Guidelines (website), stating: “The App Review Guidelines have been updated for compliance with a United States court decision regarding buttons, external links, and other calls to action in apps.” Apple has also notified developers via email about the recent changes.
With the latest revision to the App Store guidelines, Apple is making several key changes specifically for the United States storefront:
- 3.1.1: Apps on the United States storefront are not prohibited from including buttons, external links, or other calls to action when allowing users to browse NFT collections owned by others.
- 3.1.1(a): On the United States storefront, there is no prohibition on an app including buttons, external links, or other calls to action, and no entitlement is required to do so.
- 3.1.3: The prohibition on encouraging users to use a purchasing method other than in-app purchase does not apply on the United States storefront.
- 3.1.3(a): The External Link Account entitlement is not required for apps on the United States storefront to include buttons, external links, or other calls to action.
With these changes now in effect, major platforms and developers are quickly updating their apps on Apple’s U.S. storefront. Spotify has confirmed in a newsroom post that it will begin adding external payment links. Meanwhile, Epic Games the company that initiated the legal battle may also be preparing to bring Fortnite back to the App Store.
Despite complying with the court’s order, Apple made its stance clear: “We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order, and we will appeal,” the company said in an official statement. This marks a significant shift for app developers who have long criticized Apple’s high commission fees and restrictive policies.
