Epic v. Apple payment links ruling explained: What it is and what it allows
A new court ruling in the Epic v. Apple case is set to reshape how payments work on iOS.
Apple must now allow apps to link to external checkout options — without charging a commission. Here’s what this means for developers, businesses, and the future of the App Store.
Epic v. Apple: A timeline of events
A recent ruling in the ongoing Epic v. Apple case will impact how Apple charges percentages. Before digging into the story, let’s take a look at the milestones in this ongoing case.
Early 2020s: Apple charges a 30% commission rate on purchase of digital goods and services made in iOS apps — which impacts Epic by significantly reducing its revenue from in-app purchases, specifically in Fortnite — its hit battle royale game — prompting the company to seek alternative payment methods to bypass the App Store fee. As a result, Epic files against Apple in August 2020.
Late 2021: At trial, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rules in favor of Apple (September 2021), but requires them to allow developers to link to external options. Both Epic and Apple appeal the ruling (December 2021), and the appeals arrive before the United States Supreme Court — which refuses to rule on the appeals.
Trial aftermath: Apple changes its external linking policies for the US App Store, levying a 27% commission on purchases made through external links and displaying warning messages to deter users from using alternative payment methods.
April 2025 update: A ruling in favor of Epic Games impacts Apple’s fee practices
In the most recent development in this case, Epic appealed once again, and the assigned judge Rogers found Apple in civil contempt for failing to comply with the 2021 order, which required the company to allow app developers to direct users to alternative payment methods outside the App Store (in the US).
This ruling not only mandates immediate changes to Apple's App Store policies in the US, but also opens the door to potential criminal contempt proceedings against the tech giant.
In a nutshell, care of the judge: “Apple will no longer impede developers’ ability to communicate with users nor will they levy or impose a new commission on off-app purchases.”
Next up: As of May 06, 2025 Apple has yet again made an appeal to this decision.
What does the April 2025 ruling in the Epic v. Apple case mean for Apple?
In an 80-page ruling, Judge Rogers ordered Apple to take the following steps:
- Cease imposing any commissions on purchases made outside the US App Store
- Remove any deterrents, such as warning messages, that discourage users from using alternative payment methods
- Allow developers to include links or buttons within their apps directing users to external purchasing options
As for Epic Games, the immediate impact of this is returning their smash hit Fortnite to iOS in the US.
What does the 2025 ruling in the Epic v. Apple case mean for developers and businesses?
The app development landscape for iOS just became a lot more open, in 2 key ways:
1. Developers can build or implement custom payment options for their apps. Whether that’s integrating an existing platform like Stripe or building a bespoke solution, developers have a wide range of opportunities to unify payment flow — even across multiple platforms, like web or Android apps.
This also allows for potentially faster iteration and testing, as developers won’t have to navigate complicated design and UI requirements unique to Apple.
2. Businesses will see greater revenue opportunities. Where 15-30% of revenue was being withheld by Apple (on top of fees for payment service providers), now businesses can retain a bigger piece of the pie. This can be particularly important for small businesses and indie developers, who are operating under slimmer margins.
This opens the playing field in a variety of ways, allowing greater competition for financial service solutions, developers, and businesses.
Indeed, while Epic Games is leading the way, music giant Spotify has already followed suit with a big update for their iOS app.
How should you as an iOS app developer adapt?
With the reaction so immediate and the potential reward so large, businesses should be ready to update their apps and take advantage of the ruling.
Median.co offers a variety of plugins as part of their App Studio. Among these are in-app purchasing options for iOS, ready to go for enhanced utility after the Epic v. Apple case, with unique functionality to work with their relative demands.
While Apple’s existing strictures are being loosened as a result of the Epic v. Apple ruling, apps will likely still have to work with their IAP, and Median.co’s In-App Purchases
native plugin for iOS helps you take care of that — from creating items in App Store Connect to hosting necessary JSON files to verifying and fulfilling purchases.
Median also offers the brand new RevenueCat Web Paywall button. This is a new option you can drop into any RevenueCat paywall to give users fast, easy access to a RevenueCat-hosted web checkout.
It comes with built-in A/B testing functionality, to test the new waters of iOS in-app purchases.
Web Paywall uses RevenueCat’s Web Billing feature and handles everything including paywall design, invoicing, and even subscription management.
Want to learn more about our plugins?
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Conclusion
The April 2025 Epic v. Apple ruling enforces Apple to allow external payment links in iOS apps, prohibits off-app commission fees, and bans deterrent messaging.
This redefines how payments operate across the App Store in the US. iOS developers now have a clear way to implement external checkouts without Apple’s interference.
Median.co’s In-App-Purchases native plugin and RevenueCat Web Paywall button provide immediate, compliant solutions to support this transition.
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