Apple appeals court ruling on external payment links

Apple has filed an appeal against a recent court ruling that requires it to allow app developers to provide links to external payment methods outside the App Store, following a lawsuit by Epic Games. The court found Apple in contempt for not complying with an earlier injunction, criticizing the company for imposing a 27% commission on external payments and using warning pop-ups to discourage users. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers also referred Apple’s Vice President of Finance for a potential criminal investigation and sanctioned Apple for delaying tactics. In response to the ruling, Apple has updated its U.S. App Store policies to allow these external links, but maintains it disagrees with the decision and will continue to fight it on appeal. The policy change is significant for developers, especially those in crypto and NFT sectors, as it provides more flexibility and potential to avoid hefty commissions. However, certain restrictions remain, and the legal battle over Apple's App Store practices is ongoing.