tech
Apple loses its appeal of a scathing contempt ruling in iOS payments case
But Sweeney warns iOS devs are still afraid of “totally illegal” retaliation by Apple.
TL;DR
- Apple was found in "willful violation" of a court order to open iOS App Store payments.
- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that Apple's 27 percent fee for outside payments was prohibitive.
- Apple's restrictions on how outside payment links could be displayed were deemed overly broad.
- The appeals court agreed that Apple acted in "bad faith" by refusing to comply with the injunction.
- Apple may be allowed to charge a "reasonable fee" based on actual costs for user security and privacy.
- Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney believes this ruling will lead to widespread adoption of outside payment processors and significant change in the App Store.
- Sweeney also raised concerns about Apple's alleged "fear of retaliation" against developers using outside payment options, including delayed app reviews and search result manipulation.