A U.S. federal judge ordered Apple to eliminate policies that limited app developers' ability to direct users to external payment options.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers' decision on April 30 marks a crucial moment for crypto developers working on iOS.
Will Apple ease restrictions on crypto payments outside the app?
According to court documents, the decision stems from Apple's long legal battle with Epic Games. The gaming company had challenged Apple's App Store practices as anticompetitive.
In 2021, the court issued an 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 complicated redirects. These measures discouraged users from leaving the in-app purchase system, where the company charges a 30% commission on transactions.
The court deemed these changes unacceptable and decided that Apple cannot add new barriers or charge fees for payments outside the app.
“Apple, despite being aware of its obligations, frustrated the goals of the injunction and continued its anticompetitive conduct solely to maintain its revenue source,” wrote the judge.
With the new guideline, Apple cannot charge fees or impose additional barriers for transactions outside the app.
For those curious about what the new Apple vs Epic ruling will (and won't) do for mobile apps:
– Apps can accept crypto payments rather than routing through the Apple app store (with a 30% fee). This is huge for integration with mobile wallets where users can spend their crypto… pic.twitter.com/d66O3NOiNP
— cygaar (@0xCygaar) May 2, 2025
The company updated its App Store Guidelines to allow developers to include external payment links, provided certain conditions are met.
“Apps may allow users to browse third-party NFT collections, provided that, except for apps in the U.S. store, the apps do not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchases,” reads Apple's updated guideline.
This change opens new possibilities for crypto-based apps that previously faced challenges in Apple's restrictive ecosystem.
Members of the crypto community highlighted that apps can now support direct payments using digital assets like USDC, ETH, and SOL. This allows them to avoid Apple's system and the 30% commission.
Furthermore, iOS apps can finally enable in-app NFT purchases. This eliminates the friction of redirecting users to external browsers and can significantly improve the mobile user experience.
Additionally, the decision makes it easier for developers to restrict app features using NFTs. Apple previously restricted this practice to avoid fee evasion.
However, as developers pointed out, the integration of fiat to crypto is still a challenge. While the new policy facilitates the use of crypto once assets are acquired, users still need to complete KYC procedures to purchase tokens.
The article Apple will allow crypto payments in apps after court ruling was first seen on BeInCrypto Brazil.
