Apple Changes Its App Store Policy. Critics Call the Moves ‘Outrageous.’

Apple's new App Store payment policies are stirring outrage among software developers who say the iPhone maker is skirting the intention of a court ruling. Apple will require developers to pay it a 27% commission if they use an alternative payment method, much like the company did in the Netherlands and South Korea in response to legal rulings over related issues in those countries. With this change, Apple is effectively saying “we refuse to back down,” said Fiona Scott Morton, a former antitrust official in the Obama administration. “It’s a clear statement by Apple that they intend to fight.” Epic’s chief executive, Tim Sweeney, said on X that his company will contest Apple’s new policies in the Northern California District Court.