Apple vs Epic Games: iPhone-maker updates App Store payment rules

Apple has updated its App Store policy to allow developers to directly contact users about payments, a concession stemming from a legal settlement with companies challenging the tight control the tech giant exercises over its marketplace.

According to the updated App Store rules, developers can now directly get in touch with consumers about alternative payment methods, bypassing the company’s 15-30% commission.

The developers can seek from users basic information, such as names and e-mail addresses, as long as the request remains optional, the iPhone-maker said.

Apple proposed the changes during a legal settlement with small app developers in August.

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However, the concession is unlikely to satisfy developers such as Fortnite-maker Epic Games, which has been grappling with the tech giant in a long-drawn out dispute over Apple’s payments policy.

Epic Games filed a case aiming to break Apple’s monopolistic grip on the App Store, accusing the Cupertino-based company of running a monopoly.

The legal dispute between the two companies stems from Fortnite’s removal from the App Store. Apple had claimed that Epic Games violated its App Store policies by incorporating a direct payment method inside the game to avoid paying the 30% cut the tech company charges for in-app purchases.

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Last month, a judge ordered Apple to loosen its grip on the App Store payment options, but added that Epic Games had failed to prove any antitrust violations.

For Epic Games and other big-name developers, merely the ability to redirect users for out-of-app payments is not enough: it wants players to be able to pay without leaving the game.

Apple has already appealed to overturn the ruling over control of the App Store, having previously called in a “resounding victory”.

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Apple is facing similar other investigations in the US and the European Union, which has accused it of abusing its dominant market position.

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz