Latest news with #inAppPurchases
Phone Arena
25-06-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Apple is trying to undo this court decision — and wants a new judge too
Apple has filed a new appeal in the Epic Games case, asking the Ninth Circuit Court to toss out a recent order that blocks it from charging commissions on in-app purchases made outside its App Store system. The company argues that the ruling goes too far and punishes behavior that isn't illegal. This legal move comes after a ruling in April, when U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in civil contempt. That decision claimed Apple was not following a 2021 injunction that originally forced it to allow developers to steer users to third-party payment options. In response, the judge issued a stronger order. Among other things, it banned Apple from taking any cut of purchases made through external links and added new rules on how developers can direct users to outside platforms. Apple says this updated order crosses a legal line. In its latest filing, the company claims that the court is using contempt powers to impose new restrictions that go beyond what was in the original decision. Apple also defended its 27% commission on purchases made through external links. It argued that while a court might find that rate too high, it doesn't justify removing commissions entirely. Apple said in the brief: — Apple In total, Apple is asking the appeals court to cancel the new injunction, reverse the contempt finding, and strike down five extra rules related to how developers can guide users to third-party payment systems. These include limits on button styles, template disclosures, and link placement. Apple is also requesting that if the case returns to district court, it be assigned to a new judge. The company says this would help preserve the appearance of fairness, since the current judge may have difficulty setting aside past opinions. In a statement to Law360, Apple said: — Apple Epic declined to comment on the matter at this time. Whether Apple can persuade the courts to side with them remains to be seen, but it looks like we have yet to see the conclusion of this ongoing battle. One thing is for sure, Apple is not letting up on this fight or the extra revenue it gets from in-app payments. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
The Guardian
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Australians may soon be able to download iPhone apps from outside Apple App Store under government proposal
Australians could soon be able to download apps outside the Apple App Store and avoid extra charges on purchases made on the iPhone under a federal government proposal, but the tech giant has warned EU-style competition rules for apps risks security and may harm competition. Currently, Australian users cannot subscribe to Netflix or Spotify through their iOS apps, while Google charges a premium on YouTube subscriptions through the App Store and Amazon does not let Kindle users buy ebooks through the app. This is due to Apple taking a cut of up to 30% on in-app purchases, which applies to the highest-earning apps. The companies cannot advise customers how to make the purchase elsewhere, under Apple rules. In a paper released in November last year, the government outlined a proposal to 'designate' digital platforms like the Apple App Store. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email This would then compel those platforms to comply with obligations that target what the government deems to be anti-competitive conduct. The paper specifically highlights the in-app payment scheme favoured by Apple as an example of the type of behaviour the competition regulator could target once a platform is designated, as well as allowing users to download apps from places outside the official App Store – known as sideloading. In its response to the paper, Apple said the government should not use the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) as 'a blueprint' for the scheme. 'The DMA requires changes to Apple's ecosystem that bring increased privacy and security risks to users, opening the door for malware, fraud and scams; illicit and harmful content; and other threats,' the company said. Apple argued the 30% rate is only charged to the highest-earning apps, with 90% of the US$1.3tn in sales and billings generated through iOS apps being paid without Apple taking a slice. It said most developers who pay are charged 15%. The company has also warned against sideloading apps. In addition to the security risks Apple said would come with it not being able to vet the apps that users install, the company said in the submission that, in the EU, pornography apps and apps allowing copyright infringement can be installed. Users have long been able to download apps onto MacBooks and other traditional computer devices this way. The Android platform also allows sideloading of apps and third-party purchases outside the Google Play store. The company also claimed the DMA was the reason for Apple delaying the launch of its AI features. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Telsyte managing director and principal analyst, Foad Fadaghi, said opening up Apple's platform might be useful for some users, but would not change how most people use their iPhone. 'There might be concern from users who look for heightened security and privacy from Apple devices, and most will choose the locked-down mode as default,' he said. Australia is not an outlier – Apple is facing regulatory and legal pressure over its App Store dominance in Asia, Europe and the US. While the company has complied with the laws in those jurisdictions it has resisted pressure to make the App Store globally consistent. Apple previously changed its hardware globally to use USB-C connectors in order to comply with EU rules. The government has yet to announce next steps in the process, and the submissions to the paper have yet to be published by the Treasury department. A federal court judgment on Epic Games' case against Apple and Google over app store practices has yet to be handed down, nearly one year since the hearings ended.
Associated Press
05-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Apple's loses bid to halt court ruling that blocks some fees from its iPhone app store
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A three-judge appeals panel rejected Apple's request to pause an April 30 order banning the company from charging a fee on in-app iPhone transactions processed outside its once-exclusive payment system in a two-page decision issued late Thursday. The setback threatens to divert billions of dollars in revenue away from Apple while it tried to overturn the order reining in its commissions from e-commerce within iPhone apps. Apple sought to put the order on hold after it was issued by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers in a stinging rebuke that also held the Cupertino, California, company in civil contempt of court and recommended opening a criminal investigation into whether one of its executives had committed perjury while testifying in her Oakland, California, courtroom. It marked another twist of the screw in a legal battle initiated nearly five years ago by video game maker Epic Games, which alleged Apple had turned the iPhone's app store had been turned into a price-gouging monopoly. The antitrust case focused largely on the 15% to 30% commissions that Apple rakes in from a portion of the commerce conducted within iPhone apps under a system that prohibited app makers from offering alternative payment methods. Apple is still seeking to overturn Gonzalez-Rogers' ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, but her order blocking Apple's commissions on some in-app commerce will remain in effect while potentially leaving a dent in its profits. 'The long national nightmare of the Apple tax is ended,' Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney wrote in a post after the appeals court denied Apple's request. Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Although Gonzalez-Rogers mostly sided with Apple in her initial 2021 ruling in the case, she ordered the company to begin allowing apps to include links to alternative payment systems — a decision that withstood appeals that went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2024. Apple then complied by requiring commissions of 12% to 27%, provoking Epic to ask Gonzalez-Rogers to hold Apple in contempt of her order. After holding a new round of hearings that unfolded over a nine-month period straddling last year and this year, Gonzalez-Rogers brought down another legal hammer on Apple.
Bloomberg
04-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Apple Loses Bid to Pause Court Order on App Store Changes
Apple Inc. lost its request to pause a court order requiring it to let App Store developers steer users to the web to purchase in-app items without paying a commission. The ruling Wednesday by a San Francisco-based federal appeals court is the latest setback for the iPhone maker in a long-running fight with Fortnite maker Epic Games Inc. over the dominance of the smartphone software market with its App Store.
TechCrunch
04-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
RevenueCat and Paddle team up to help app developers profit from web payments
Payments and subscription infrastructure providers Paddle and RevenueCat have teamed up to launch an alternative to Apple's in-app purchases in the wake of a U.S. App Store policy change that now allows app developers to process their own payments. The companies on Tuesday announced a new integration that allows users to make purchases from developers' apps, whether on web or mobile devices. Paddle manages the web-specific payments, along with associated tax and compliance complexities. Meanwhile, thanks to RevenueCat, developers have access to their subscription data and performance across both web and mobile platforms. The ability to even offer links for in-app purchases via the web is a new change for iOS applications in the U.S. The decision came down from District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers as part of the court's ruling in Fortnite maker Epic Games' antitrust lawsuit against Apple. While Apple largely won its case, as the court declared it was not a monopolist, it was also forced to allow developers to link out to web payment options without having to pay Apple a commission. Combined, the new solution from Paddle and RevenueCat offers a way for users to subscribe once on one platform — web or mobile — then automatically access their subscription across all devices. Plus, subscription data is stored in the RevenueCat dashboard, where developers can track real-time analytics across web, iOS, and Android for easy access. Some apps already use services from both providers, like the running app Runna. In that case, the new integration offers a more seamless path to web monetization, the companies explain. 'There's a huge opportunity for subscription apps to grow revenue by expanding to the web — but that shift brings new technical and operational challenges,' said Jimmy Fitzgerald, CEO of Paddle, in a statement shared with TechCrunch. 'By partnering with RevenueCat, we're making it easier for developers to manage subscriptions across platforms, while giving them more control over how and where they monetize.' RevenueCat co-founder and CEO Jacob Eiting, whose service today powers over 70,000 apps, added that Paddle was a great partner on the new effort, which will allow developers to offer web-based payments alongside traditional app stores.
