A U.S. federal judge ordered Apple to remove policies that restricted app developers from directing users to external payment options.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers' ruling on April 30 is a significant moment for developers of crypto applications operating on iOS.
Will Apple ease restrictions on crypto payments outside of apps?
According to court documents, this decision is the result of a long legal battle between Apple and Epic Games. The gaming company challenged Apple's App Store practices as anti-competitive.
In 2021, the court issued a judicial injunction requiring Apple to allow developers to offer alternative payment methods for users of their apps.
However, Apple responded by adding restrictive features such as warning screens and complex redirects. These measures deterred users from exiting the in-app purchasing system, where the company charges a 30% commission on transactions.
The court found these changes unacceptable and ruled that Apple cannot add new barriers or charge fees for payments outside of the app.
«Apple, despite being aware of its obligations, obstructed the achievement of the goals of the injunction and continued its anti-competitive behavior solely to maintain its revenue», wrote the judge.
According to the new directive, Apple cannot charge fees or impose additional barriers for transactions outside of the app. The company updated its App Store guidelines to allow developers to include external payment links, provided certain conditions are met.
«Applications may allow users to view NFT collections owned by others, provided that, except for applications on the United States storefront, applications may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchases», according to the updated guidelines from Apple.
This change opens up new opportunities for crypto applications that previously faced challenges in Apple's strict ecosystem.
Members of the crypto community noted that applications can now support direct payments using digital assets such as USDC, ETH, and SOL. This allows them to bypass Apple’s system and avoid the 30% fee.
Additionally, iOS applications may finally allow in-app purchases of NFTs. This eliminates the need to redirect users to external web browsers and may significantly enhance the mobile user experience.
Moreover, this ruling makes it easier for developers to limit app features using NFTs. Previously, Apple restricted this practice to prevent commission avoidance.
However, as developers noted, integrating fiat-crypto remains a challenge. While the new policy makes it easier to use cryptocurrencies after purchase, users still need to go through KYC procedures to buy tokens.#Write2Earn #BinanceSquare #Apple #crypto #Binance $ETH