iPhone giant Apple has achieved a narrow victory in its appeal of a case brought by Epic Games.
Reuters reports this. that the company convinced the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to allow it to charge a “reasonable fee” for external payments made to developers outside of the App Store.
However, this fee should reflect the “actual costs of ensuring user security and privacy” that the tech giant has to spend. As for what constitutes a “reasonable fee,” that is a matter for Apple and the district court to decide.
However, other aspects of Apple's appeal have fallen short of expectations. The court ruled that the company's proposed 27% commission for iOS developers using external payment methods violated a previous injunction, while the iPhone giant's restrictions on advertising such methods over Apple's internal payment options were too broad. The firm must ensure that both types of payment methods are presented equally.
Apple's request to have the entire injunction thrown out was also rejected by the appeals court.
Epic Games celebrated the news, with CEO Tim Sweeney declaring on social media: “After years of obstruction from Apple, we will finally see major changes.”
This followed the US District Court applying for an injunction against Apple. in April. This prohibited the company from charging fees on in-app purchases made using external payment methods. The said injunction was originally issued in 2021.although it did not come into force until January 2024. In April 2025, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in “willful violation” of the order..
Meanwhile, Fortnite has returned to the Google Play Store in the US. Battle Royale was removed from the App Store and Google Play in 2020, shortly before Epic sued Apple and Google to protest their handling of mobile payment systems. According to Epic Games' social media posts, the game will return to Google Play in other regions.
Fortnite is back on iOS in the US and Europe in May 2025, before returning to Australia in August.
