Apple continues to evade obligations related to the unprecedented iOS 17.4 update with which it opened up its walled garden software ecosystem under threat of fines from the European Union.
In Europe, iPhone users now enjoy access to third-party app stores, for example, or can replace the default Safari browser with any other browsing machine of their choice, including the platform -Google Chrome form.
Some of these EU mandates were prompted by lawsuits from Fortnite's Sporify or Epic Games, which claimed that Apple's unfair business practices prevented competition and monopolized developers' profits. As if to punish Spotify out of spite, Apple now refuses to certify updates to its applications, but Epic is not faring any better.
While Apple's freezing of Fortnite and Epic developer accounts has been resolved, the Cupertino team still takes a 27% fee on any revenue it earns from providing third-party links to its apps.
Needless to say, this essentially circumvents the soul of the court's decision to allow alternative app stores and payment methods for
iPhone and iPad users. Epic now has
deposit a protest motion.
“These are essentially the same fees that the Court found that Apple never justified and that are not motivated by competition. Only now they are being charged – for the first time – on purchases made outside of an iOS app.“, argues Epic and continues that “The amount of this fee removes the economic incentive to embed an external link in an app, as developers will have to pay more than 3% just to process linked purchases.“.
Apple, however, is baffled and
argues that “
Charging a commission on transactions facilitated by external purchasing links is not only consistent with the clear terms of the injunction, but is also consistent with the court's rationale for compliance with other Apple App Store policies.“This rationale is not only that Apple is investing significantly in making its iOS platform and App Store safe and secure, but that developers also benefit from selling to”
Apple's vast consumer base,” Also.
It remains to be seen how the court will look at the commission fees collected by Apple, but the EU's mandate to open up the iOS ecosystem does not appear to be the end of this battle royale for the soul of Apple's software. 'iPhone.
