In a direct response to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’s latest injunction in the Epic Games v. Apple antitrust trial, Apple has overhauled its App Store Review Guidelines to permit U.S. developers to include external purchase links and calls to action in their apps (The Verge). Under the revised rules, Apple may no longer block or penalize apps for steering users to third‑party payment sites, nor charge any commission on transactions initiated outside the App Store. These changes apply exclusively to apps distributed on the U.S. storefront and come as Apple concurrently appeals the court’s ruling. The update was quietly rolled out via an email to developers, signaling a major shift in Apple’s long‑standing in‑app purchase policies.
Key Guideline Revisions
Apple updated four core sections of its guidelines to align with the court order.
- 3.1.1 In‑App Purchase: Apps may now include buttons, external links, or other calls to action directing users to purchase mechanisms beyond Apple’s own in‑app system in the U.S. App Store (9to5Mac).
- 3.1.1(a) Link to Other Purchase Methods: Developers can apply for an entitlement to link to a website they control for selling digital content or services—no entitlement needed for U.S. apps.
- 3.1.3 Other Purchase Methods: U.S. apps under this section may encourage users to employ alternative payment methods, provided they adhere to the new external‑link entitlements.
- 3.1.3(a) “Reader” Apps: Reader apps can now freely include informational links to their own sites for account creation or management without special approval in the U.S. storefront.
This update stems from a contempt order issued after Apple failed to comply in spirit with a 2021 injunction requiring external‑link support. Judge Rogers found that Apple’s workaround—charging a 27% fee on redirected purchases and displaying “scare screens”—violated both the letter and spirit of her original order Wikipedia. The judge’s ruling specifically bars Apple from “impos[ing] any commission or any fee on purchases that consumers make outside an app” and from restricting developers’ use of external‑link styling or placement.
Developers and industry observers have hailed the guideline changes as a long‑overdue correction to Apple’s App Store monopoly. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose company spearheaded the legal fight, plans to return Fortnite to iOS within days now that external payment links are truly unrestricted. Even Spotify’s recent app update—including a link to its own subscription portal—slipped through under the new rules without Apple interference.
While integrating external links no longer carries a penalty, developers must still implement and maintain their own payment infrastructure, trading Apple’s 30% cut for their own processing fees. Apple has warned that it will continue to enforce other App Store policies—such as security, privacy, and content rules—even as it rolls out external‑link support. Meanwhile, Google Search visibility remains critical; Reddit’s “Answers” AI integration is one example of platforms insulating themselves from third‑party search‑algorithm shifts.
Source: (The Verge)
