Apple Achieves Limited Success in Epic Games Appeal

Apple has secured a partial victory in its appeal against Epic Games, with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the tech giant can charge a reasonable fee on external payments made to developers outside of the App Store, provided it reflects the actual costs of ensuring user security and privacy. However, the court rejected other aspects of Apple's appeal, including its proposed 27% fee on iOS developers using external payment methods and restrictions on advertising such methods. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney welcomed the news, stating that large-scale change is finally happening after years of obstruction by Apple. This development comes as Fortnite returns to the Google Play Store in the US, with a global rollout planned, following its earlier return to iOS in the US and Europe.