Apple vs Epic Games: Fight for developers freedom

How it all starts. Back in August 2020, Epic Games added its own way to pay inside Fortnite, skipping Apple’s built-in payment system. This broke Apple’s App Store rules, so Apple removed Fortnite from the store. In response, Epic sued Apple, saying the company had too much monopoly and was stopping fair competition. The Legal Fight The courtroom drama went over several years: September 2021: A judge ruled that Apple was mostly right, but one of its rules—stopping developers from telling users about other payment options—was unfair under California law. Apple had to let developers share links to other ways to pay. April 2025: The court said Apple broke that rule again. Even after the 2021 order, Apple still charged a 27% fee on outside payments and made it hard for developers to show other payment options. The judge said Apple did this on purpose and sent the case for possible criminal review. Source What We Learned 1. More Power to Developers These rulings gave developers: The freedom to tell users about other payment methods. Less pressure from Apple’s high fees. (27% , 30%) A better chance to earn money fairly. 2. Holding Big Companies Responsible The case showed that big tech companies should: Follow fair rules. Avoid using their power in unfair ways. Be open and clear with their policies. 3. This Affects the Whole World This isn’t just about the U.S.: In the EU, the Digital Markets Act has similar rules, so Apple has to make changes there too. In the UK, the new law called the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill also pushes for fair competition. Comparative Overview What Changed Before After Developer Payment Options Only through Apple’s system Developers can link to outside payments Apple’s outside fees Charged 27% on outside payments Courts said this is not allowed What devs can say Couldn’t share other payment info Can now tell users about other options

May 3, 2025 - 08:15

Apple vs Epic Games: Fight for developers freedom

How it all starts.

Back in August 2020, Epic Games added its own way to pay inside Fortnite, skipping Apple’s built-in payment system. This broke Apple’s App Store rules, so Apple removed Fortnite from the store. In response, Epic sued Apple, saying the company had too much monopoly and was stopping fair competition.

The Legal Fight

The courtroom drama went over several years:

September 2021: A judge ruled that Apple was mostly right, but one of its rules—stopping developers from telling users about other payment options—was unfair under California law. Apple had to let developers share links to other ways to pay.
April 2025: The court said Apple broke that rule again. Even after the 2021 order, Apple still charged a 27% fee on outside payments and made it hard for developers to show other payment options. The judge said Apple did this on purpose and sent the case for possible criminal review. Source

What We Learned

1. More Power to Developers

These rulings gave developers:

The freedom to tell users about other payment methods.
Less pressure from Apple’s high fees. (27% , 30%)
A better chance to earn money fairly.

2. Holding Big Companies Responsible

The case showed that big tech companies should:

Follow fair rules.
Avoid using their power in unfair ways.
Be open and clear with their policies.

3. This Affects the Whole World

This isn’t just about the U.S.:

In the EU, the Digital Markets Act has similar rules, so Apple has to make changes there too.
In the UK, the new law called the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill also pushes for fair competition.

Comparative Overview

What Changed	Before	After
Developer Payment Options	Only through Apple’s system	Developers can link to outside payments
Apple’s outside fees	Charged 27% on outside payments	Courts said this is not allowed
What devs can say	Couldn’t share other payment info	Can now tell users about other options