05.06.2025
Apple is being sued by developers unhappy with the company's "willful violation" of the anti-steering injunction the court ordered as part of its legal battle with Epic Games. A company
The lawsuit focuses on the recent Apple vs. Epic Games decision where Apple was found to be in contempt of court. Back in 2021, Apple was ordered to relax its anti-steering rules that prevent developers from directing customers to purchase options outside of the App Store. Because of appeals, Apple didn't have to comply until January 17, 2024, but when it did, Apple did so in a way that the court said was anticompetitive.
Apple forced developers to pay between 12 and 27 percent in commission when customers made a purchase through an app using an external payment link, which was an issue because developers also had to pay payment processors. Apple also had strict rules allowing only a single link and it used scare screens to try to prevent customers from making purchases outside of the App Store.
Apple last week was forced to change its U.S. App Store policies to support external payment links in apps with no restrictions, a decision that Apple is appealing, but the class action lawsuit argues that developers should be compensated for the trouble. It claims that Apple's moves to circumvent the injunction cost developers "billions of dollars" in revenue.
Due to Apple's anti-steering implementation, only 34 developers of 136,000 took advantage of the external payment link option before the terms were changed last week, and the lawsuit is seeking restitution for all U.S. developers who offered in-app purchases for non-zero prices between January 17, 2024 and when Apple fully complied with the original injunction.
Apple should be forced to disgorge all of its "ill-gotten gains," according to the lawsuit. The law firm that's handling the case, Hagens Berman, previously secured a $100 million settlement for developers over Apple's App Store fees.
Tags: App Store, Apple Lawsuits
This article, "Apple Faces Developer Lawsuit After Defying App Store Injunction" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
You may also be interested in this
EU to Close Antitrust Inv…
03.25.2025
The European Commission is set to close its year-long investigation into Apple's default browser choice screen on iPhones in the EU after the company made changes to comply with the
What to expect from Apple…
10.11.2024
The M3 Pro generation of MacBook Pros arrived about one year ago in October 2023. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Another round of Apple devices is
Stop annoying spam calls …
09.14.2023
Hate those annoying spam robocalls on your iPhone? One of the best ways to kill them is with Incogni, a data-removal service. (via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture
Apple Might Delay Its Rum…
04.07.2025
Apple's rumored new smart home hub command center that was expected this year could be delayed, pushing its release all the way to 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In
Apple device management s…
01.25.2024
Popular Apple device management software maker Jamf has shared that it needs to cut back on costs to start the year. The workforce reduction plan is set to lay off
Netflix Basic gone in the…
07.19.2023
The Netflix Basic tier – which the company had previously attempted to hide – has now been withdrawn in both the US and UK, following the same move in Canada
Apple’s iPhone stil…
10.17.2023
The global smartphone market has dropped down to its lowest levels in a decade, but while Apple saw a year-on-year drop in iPhone volume, it didn't shrink as much as
Apple Pulls iPadOS 18 for…
09.17.2024
Apple stopped signing the iPadOS 18 update for the M4 iPad Pro models, which means the new software is no longer available to be downloaded and installed at the current
