Apple has filed an appeal against the recent US ruling in favour of Epic Games over third-party payment methods for apps on iOS.
As reported by The Verge (document here), Apple filed the appeal to the Northern District of California Court on May 5, 2025.
Last week’s ruling prevents Apple from collecting fees on purchases made outside its App Store in the US. In addition, Apple cannot stop developers from encouraging users to make purchases outside its ecosystem (pointing them towards making web transactions, for example).
“Apple’s goal: to dissuade customer usage of alternative purchase opportunities and maintain its anticompetitive revenue stream,” read the ruling. “In the end, Apple sought to maintain a revenue stream worth billions in direct defiance of this Court;s Injunction.”
The ruling also referred Apple and vice president of finance Alex Roman to the local US attorney for possible investigation around criminal contempt. The judge said that Roman “outright lied under oath”.
Apple told The Verge last week that it planned on appealing.
The company has already changed its App Review Guidelines in the US in accordance with the ruling, permitting developers to encourage users to make payments outside of in-app purchases.
Read Rob Fahey’s take on the latest in Apple vs Epic here.
