Epic Games vs. Apple Ruling Impacts App Store Policies

According to Foresight News, a U.S. court has ruled in favor of Epic Games in its lawsuit against Apple, with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers deciding that Apple can no longer charge fees for purchases made outside of its apps. This ruling, which takes immediate effect, also prohibits Apple from restricting developers from directing users to make purchases outside of the app. Apple has announced plans to appeal the decision. Epic Games plans to relist Fortnite on the U.S. App Store next week. In response to the court's decision, Apple has updated its App Review Guidelines to comply with the ruling regarding in-app buttons, external links, and calls to action. According to the updated guidelines, apps can use in-app purchase features to sell services related to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), such as minting, listing, and transferring. However, apps outside the U.S. store are not allowed to include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct users to purchasing mechanisms outside of in-app purchases. Crossmint, a crypto API development company, commented that the ruling is significant for the cryptocurrency industry, as it allows apps to directly sell NFTs, tokens, and digital assets while retaining 100% of the revenue.