Apple has filed its appeal to last week’s court ruling that effectively removed all in-app payment restrictions in the US App Store.
The Verge posted the court document confirming Apple’s appeal yesterday, but game and app developers are already moving to take full advantage.
Longtime Apple adversary Spotify has already had an update to its app approved by Apple which allows customers to pay for their subscription more easily through the web. And Stripe product manager Michael Luo’s X post showing how Stripe’s off-store payments solution could work has already attracted over 1.1m views as game-makers figure out how best to exercise their new freedoms.
Longtime App Store observer and RevenueCat growth advocate David Barnard estimated on X that up to $3bn of Apple’s quarterly revenue is under threat as a result of the ruling. But he noted that the picture could change if Apple’s appeal is successful.
“If they win on appeal and revert back to something few developers actually use (or something developers use, but still pay a commission) it could preserve a billion or two in quarterly profit,” said Barnard. “So if they win, it’s hard to see them not rewriting the rules once again to disallow linking out. But geez, that’s going to be quite the middle finger to developers.“
Still, analyst Eric Seufert said on his Mobile Dev Memo blog that the ruling is “truly a watershed moment for the app economy”.
“I don’t begrudge Apple’s claim on App Store commissions, given the central role it plays in facilitating them,” he continued. “But Apple’s efforts to impede off-platform payments were beyond the pale…this development is just and past due.”
Webshop firms and alternative app stores have also been hailing what could be a new era for developer choice.
“This ruling marks a significant shift in mobile gaming, creating new opportunities for revenue generation and providing mobile game developers with complete control over their purchasing experience – without risking enforcement actions or paying additional fees,” said Xsolla on its blog.
The payments firm added that where previously a $20 IAP typically returned only $14 to developers after platform fees, linking directly to a webshop could now return as much as $19 from the same $20 purchase.
Appcharge cofounder and CEO Maor Sason told us that the ruling “will lead to a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem…one where players win, publishers grow, and even Apple can ultimately benefit from the increased transaction volume and innovation that real competition brings.”
Sason continued: “It gives more studios the green light to build DTC strategies without fear of rejection, obfuscation, or policy whiplash. That said, we’re not naïve. Apple still holds immense power over the ecosystem, and there’s a long road ahead before enforcement becomes reality. But for now, this ruling sends a powerful signal – the walls are cracking. And the future of mobile commerce is going to look a lot more open.”
Stash head of product Archie Stonehill says the ruling could also help open up alternative payments to casual game-makers, too.
“Until now…they were worried that ‘impulse purchases’ wouldn’t translate off-platform,” Stonehill told us. “But now that developers can run direct CTAs from the app during those impulse moments, they’re much more likely to convert.”
Alternative app store Aptoide’s cofounder and CEO Paulo Trezentos says the court’s decision is “pivotal for the mobile app economy.”
“For years, developers and alternative app stores have pushed back against the dominance of closed ecosystems,” he continued. “This ruling validates the global push for fairer digital markets. Epic’s perseverance, and regulatory efforts around the world, has cracked the door open for real competition.”
“This momentum will only grow,” added Trezentos. “Other jurisdictions are watching, and pressure on Google will intensify too. It’s a step forward not just for developers, but for user choice and a more innovative mobile landscape.”
Even US senator Elizabeth Warren weighed in with some sharp criticism of Apple. She stated on X that Apple had “defied a court order just so it could steal from app developers and jack up prices for users.”
“A federal judge called it an “obvious cover-up” and put a stop to it,” she continued. “This is a huge win for app users, developers, and competition.”
