In 2021, a federal judge ordered Apple to slightly modify its App Store policies, but by 2024, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found that Apple intentionally violated this ruling and attempted to conceal its non-compliance. In a strong opinion, she refused to allow Apple a second chance, demanding concrete changes to the App Store after years of minimal adjustments.
The ruling confronts Apple’s strategies to circumvent competition. Although Apple emerged victorious in the original Epic Games lawsuit—retaining the right to charge developers for in-app purchases—it failed to clarify how to implement this, leaving loopholes for developers. Subsequently, Apple explored various fee models and audit processes, ultimately opting for approaches perceived as detrimental to developers.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers noted that Apple’s decisions reflected anti-competitive behavior. For instance, in determining commission rates, Apple executives debated various figures but ultimately decided on a 27% rate, which lacked justification and rendered external payment methods unfeasible for developers. Additionally, Apple designed user prompts to discourage users from following links to external sites, incorporating “scary” language to deter them.
The judge criticized Apple for consistently choosing options that limited developers’ autonomy, indicating that they prioritized revenue over compliance. The new ruling mandates Apple to allow unrestricted use of links for sales without imposing fees for web purchases. Apple plans to appeal this decision.
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