Apple softens crypto app rules, 'hugely bullish' for crypto industry
Crypto app developers can now direct users to external payment options without restrictions or fees due to a ruling by US district judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who found Apple in willful violation of a 2021 injunction related to antitrust issues with Epic Games. Apple must immediately allow developers to communicate with users about off-app purchases and cannot impose commissions on these transactions. The ruling prohibits Apple from controlling how developers link to external purchases and from excluding certain apps from access to these links. Following the ruling, updates to Apple’s guidelines reflect changes allowing links to external NFT collections and payment systems. Industry figures view this as a positive development for mobile crypto applications. Epic Games plans to relaunch Fortnite on the App Store, proposing a global extension of the court's framework in exchange for dropping litigation against Apple.
