Judge in Epic v. Apple trial says Apple must comply with an order letting developers link to external payment options, denying Apple's stay request
Apple said the change would be ‘exceedingly complicated’ — Epic v. Apple judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers says Apple must comply with an order …
The Verge Adi Robertson
Context & Ripple Effects
The court had already issued a permanent injunction against blocking external-purchase links in September. By refusing a stay, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers makes that remedy an immediate operating requirement for Apple rather than a rule paused during further litigation.
The dispute did not end with implementation: Apple later planned a Supreme Court challenge to the external-link rule, and its App Store Guidelines were eventually updated to comply with a subsequent Epic injunction.
First-order effects
- Apple must begin complying with the injunction despite its argument that the required change is operationally complex.
- Developers gain the ability to direct users to payment options outside Apple’s in-app purchase system alongside IAP.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s App Store rules and review processes must accommodate external-payment links, changing how it administers purchases that begin in an app.
- Developers can make external checkout a live alternative to IAP, putting Apple’s payment flow into direct competition with the options developers link to.
Third-order effects
- The case establishes court orders, rather than App Store policy alone, as a constraint on Apple’s control of payment links; Apple’s later planned Supreme Court appeal shows the boundary remained strategically important.
- If this enforcement pattern persists, app-distribution disputes will increasingly center on whether platform-controlled checkout can coexist with developer-directed payment paths.
The trend: App-store governance is shifting toward judicial limits on how platforms can control the path from an app to a purchase.
Related: Apple · Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers · Epic permanent injunction on external purchase links · Apple seeks Supreme Court review of Epic ruling
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Discussion
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@markgurman
Mark Gurman
on x
Apple to appeal to Ninth Circuit: “Apple believes no additional business changes should be required to take effect until all appeals in this case are resolved. We intend to ask the Ninth Circuit for a stay based on these circumstances.” https://twitter.com/...
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@leah_nylen
@leah_nylen
on x
Breaking: Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers says she won't stay the order requiring Apple to modify its guidelines to let developers link out or allow consumers to know about cheaper options. The company must comply by Dec. 9
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@zhugeex
Daniel Ahmad
on x
The big question now, given this would circumvent Apple's in app purchase mechanism that charges a 30% take rate, is what Apple will do to mitigate some of the potential loss. Depending on the interpretation of the court ruling, Apple could find a way to offset that impact.
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@drbarnard
David Barnard
on x
@rjonesy Asked @iansherr who understands the legal side of things better than me. It appears that Apple can still request that the Ninth Circuit stay the injunction, they just don't get the extra 10 days they were requesting.
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@stroughtonsmith
Steve Troughton-Smith
on x
@drbarnard does that really matter if it bounces you to Safari and back? That's no different from payment flows on the web like e.g. PayPal
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@backlon
Dieter Bohn
on x
Apple had hoped to delay third party payment buttons past all the appeals, which would take years. Judge denied the stay, so Apple may have to include something in iOS by year's end. https://www.theverge.com/...
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@drbarnard
David Barnard
on x
So there it is, injunction not stayed, but Apple still has options, including the strictest, most self-serving implementation of the injunction. Anyone proclaiming a huge win for developers is doing so prematurely. https://twitter.com/...
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@kifleswing
Kif
on x
Judge Rogers in the order: “Other than, perhaps, needing time to establish Guidelines, Apple has provided no credible reason for the Court to believe that the injunction would cause the professed devastation.”
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@zhugeex
Daniel Ahmad
on x
This doesn't replace Apple's in app purchasing mechanism, which will always be more convenient It also doesn't go as far as Epic / other devs would like + there is debate as to the material impact it'd have on Apple But essentially devs could link to their website for payments
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@lapcatsoftware
Jeff Johnson
on x
They created the App Store from scratch in about 9 months. https://twitter.com/...
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@leah_nylen
@leah_nylen
on x
“Apple's motion is based on a selective reading of this Court's findings and ignores all of the findings which supported the injunction, namely incipient antitrust conduct including supercompetitive commission rates resulting in extraordinarily high operating margins,” YGR rules
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@nickstatt
Nick Statt
on x
Buttons & links are coming to the App Store. I have to imagine Spotify and Netflix are itching to update their iOS apps once Apple complies. And now Apple has less than a month to put together some rules over how this is supposed to work/what it should look like.
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@markgurman
Mark Gurman
on x
The judge has harsh words for Apple's now rejected delay motion: “Apple's motion is based on a selective reading of this court's findings and ignores all of the findings which supported the injunction.” “The motion is fundamentally flawed.” @MalathiNayak https://www.bloomberg.com…
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@drbarnard
David Barnard
on x
@stroughtonsmith “external sites” I don't see Apple allowing it inside an app in a webview. And that doesn't seem to be what the judge is saying either.
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@zhugeex
Daniel Ahmad
on x
This is the anti-steering provision that Epic won vs Apple. By Dec 9, Apple has to allow devs to offer a way for developers to link out to external payment methods from in app. Theoretically = lower prices when paying outside app store. https://twitter.com/...
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@stroughtonsmith
Steve Troughton-Smith
on x
Apple's self-serving interpretation of the Epic ruling eviscerated. This very much enables alternate in-app purchase systems, via a web view, alongside IAP. Apple's IAP has to compete on merit, not just win by default. Apple is worse off having clarified this. Was a gamble 😂 http…
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@kifleswing
Kif
on x
Apple spokesperson comment on judge Rogers denying a stay in Fortnite case: “Apple believes no additional business changes should be required to take effect until all appeals in this case are resolved. We intend to ask the Ninth Circuit for a stay based on these circumstances.”
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@drbarnard
David Barnard
on x
@lol_you_lost This is Apple we're talking about. They are likely to _try_. And then it's going to take time for the court to sort things out. And that's if the Ninth Circuit doesn't stay the injunction. There's a lot of daylight between tonight and declaring this a victory for de…
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@carnage4life
Dare Obasanjo
on x
Apple argues that app developers adding links to their to their website to pay for an item requires years of engineering for them to support. There I was thinking it would cost Apple zero days of work if the Kindle app included a link to Amazon's website but what do I know? https…
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@reckless
Nilay Patel
on x
Anyway stay denied, buttons and links allowed as of Dec 9, Apple will now ask the appeals court for a stay, what the f are metabuttons please help me https://www.theverge.com/...
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@quinnypig
Corey Quinn
on x
The judge having to type the order on her iPhone because her Mac laptop's keyboard was broken probably didn't help Apple's case any. https://twitter.com/...
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@nickstatt
Nick Statt
on x
Wow Apple just took a giant L here after aggressively fighting compliance with the Epic ruling from September. This is huge. https://twitter.com/...
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@appfairness
@appfairness
on x
1/3 “CAF strongly supports the Court's decision to uphold its injunction enjoining @Apple from prohibiting developers to include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms...
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@patrickmcgee_
Patrick McGee
on x
The biggest forced change to the App Store since its creation https://twitter.com/...
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@carnage4life
Dare Obasanjo
on x
The judge denied Apple's request but they've already stated they will appeal. If Apple loses these judgements and has to allow links to web checkouts for IAPs, it will be a windfall for apps like Tinder/YouTube/VeVe/etc and 📉for Apple services revenue. https://www.theverge.com/..…
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@migueldeicaza
@migueldeicaza
on x
My reaction to today's news on Epic v Apple: [Meme pic: “I should have incorporated payments processor two months ago"]