Apple has taken the next step in its long-lasting legal battle with Epic Games. The company filed a notice of appeal against California’s court ruling, saying that the upcoming changes in the App Store policy might be harmful both for iOS users and developers.
Apple asked for a stay on the injunction that would enable external payment options on Friday, according to CNBC. The appeal will be reviewed in November, but the whole process might take years, postponing the previous court ruling.
Last month, Apple said that it couldn’t decide whether to appeal the ruling, which allowed developers to add links to third-party payment systems. Epic Games, on the other hand, filed a notice of appeal right after the judge dismissed 9 out of its 10 claims.
While Apple previously stated that the ruling was a “huge win” for the company, it certainly isn’t happy about making changes to its policies and letting people make in-app purchases outside the App Store.
“At a high level, it is my judgment that, without thoughtful restrictions in place to protect consumers, developers, and the iOS platform, this change will harm users, developers, and the iOS platform more generally,” Apple senior director of App Review Trystan Kosmynka said.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney reacted ironically to the news, saying that Apple is afraid of buttons within apps that link to external payment options. “Some buttons are big and red,” he wrote “Some buttons launch nuclear missiles. If software is allowed to include buttons, they could maybe cause iPhones to explode and kill you or, worse, void your warranty.”
Apple filed a peel https://t.co/hvnfgg8lZC pic.twitter.com/TouBIrKiSp
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 9, 2021