Apple has officially updated its App Store Developer Guidelines to allow apps to link to third-party payment systems, complying with a court ruling in the Epic Games antitrust lawsuit.
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According to the updated App Store guidelines, “there is no prohibition on including buttons, deep links, or other calls to action in an app.” “The App Review Guidelines have been updated to reflect a U.S. court ruling regarding buttons, deep links, and other calls to action in apps. These changes affect apps distributed on the U.S. App Store,” Apple said in an email to developers Thursday evening.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers, who is presiding over Epic Games’ antitrust lawsuit against Apple, said in a ruling that Apple “willfully chose not to comply” with a previous injunction requiring the company to allow developers to direct users to pay using third-party payment systems. Despite that ruling, Apple has tried to charge a 27% fee on in-app purchases made outside the App Store.
Many companies have already started updating their apps to take into account the changes in the App Store rules, 9to5mac.com reports. Music streaming service Spotify has already presented a new version of its app today with links to external payment systems and other changes.
Apple was forced to comply with the court’s ruling under threat of criminal prosecution, although it strongly disagreed with it. “We will comply with the court’s order and will appeal,” the company told 9to5mac.com.