Apple to Adjust U.S. App Store Rules Following Court Ruling — But It’s Not Backing Down Yet

Frederick Nyame

April 30, 2025

Apple is getting ready to make some big changes to its App Store policies in the U.S., following a recent court order from the Northern District of California. The company confirmed to MacRumors that while it plans to comply with the ruling, it also fully intends to appeal the decision.

“We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal,” Apple stated.

The Case Against Apple’s “Anti-Steering” Rulesin App Store

This stems from a legal battle dating back to 2021, when Apple was hit with an injunction aimed at what critics called its anti-steering practices — policies that restricted how developers could guide users to make purchases outside the App Store.

Now, the court has officially ruled that Apple violated that injunction. The decision comes with a clear list of instructions that Apple must implement right away.

Here’s What Apple Now Has to Do:

Let developers include links or buttons in their apps that send users to make purchases on external websites.
Stop collecting fees or commissions on those external purchases.
No more controlling the design or wording of those links — developers can format them however they want.
No “scare screens” or discouraging messages when users choose to leave an app and visit an external site.
No excluding certain developers or app types from being allowed to use these external links.
Allow dynamic links that take users directly to a product page (even if they’re logged in), and let apps share product and user details for outside purchases.

Read Also: Epic Scores Major Win Over Apple — Fortnite May Return to iOS Next Week

Court: No More Delays

The court made it crystal clear: these changes need to happen now. In the ruling, the judge stated that they “will not tolerate further delays”. That means Apple doesn’t have the option to wait around while the appeal plays out.

This is a major shift in how Apple will have to handle in-app purchases in the U.S.. Especially for developers who’ve long pushed back against Apple’s strict App Store ecosystem. Even though the company isn’t happy about the outcome, users and developers alike may soon get a little more freedom when it comes to where and how purchases are made.

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Source/VIA :

MacRumors