#AppleCryptoUpdate

Apple Eases NFT, Crypto Rules for iOS Apps Following Antitrust Ruling

Apple has loosened restrictions on developers’ ability to offer iPhone and iPad apps directing users to external purchasing methods, including for NFTs.

By André Beganski

3 min read

May 2, 2025

Fortnite maker Epic Games’ antitrust case against Apple benefited the crypto industry on Thursday, when the iPhone maker loosened restrictions on developers’ ability to offer apps in the U.S. that direct users to non-standard purchasing methods or digital collectibles.

Apple updated its iOS App Store review guidelines after a U.S. District Judge found this week that the tech titan “willfully” violated a court injunction issued in 2021. Moving forward, the federal court prohibited Apple from collecting fees on purchases made outside of its iOS apps (currently 27%) or limiting developers’ ability to direct users to third-party websites.

In an email obtained by Decrypt, Apple notified iOS developers that “apps on the United States storefront are [no longer] prohibited from including buttons, external links, or other calls to action when allowing users to browse NFT collections owned by others.”