Court denies Apple’s request to pause ruling on App Store payment fees

June 6, 2025

Court denies Apple’s request to pause ruling on App Store payment fees

A U.S. court has denied Apple’s request to pause a ruling that requires the company to stop charging developers for payments made outside the App Store via links in their apps.

As a result, Apple will no longer be able to impose fees on developers when customers click on a link within an app that directs them to an external payment option. This change could lead to a significant loss of revenue for Apple.

The court stated, “

Apple bears the burden of showing that the circumstances justify an exercise of [our] discretion.” After considering the relevant factors, the court concluded that a stay was not warranted.

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Tim Sweeney, the head of Epic Games, praised the court’s decision, declaring, “The long national nightmare of the Apple tax is over,” in a post on X.

In April, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in favor of Epic Games, stating that Apple was in “willful violation” of a 2021 injunction that prohibited the company from enforcing anticompetitive pricing. This ruling means that Apple must revise its App Store policies to allow developers to link directly to their websites for purchasing digital goods.

In response, Apple filed an emergency motion last month to request a stay on the court’s ruling and also submitted an appeal around the same time.

Although Apple began allowing other apps to link to external payment methods last year, it still charged a 27% fee and implemented what critics referred to as “scare screens.” The new ruling will eliminate both of these practices.

Major companies are already updating their apps in light of this ruling, with Spotify and Amazon releasing new versions that enable users to pay for subscriptions and purchases outside the App Store.

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