How will I buy things in apps now?

You may get more choices. The judge issued an injunction saying that Apple cannot stop developers from directing users to other payment methods inside their apps. Currently, Apple’s rules prohibit developers from telling customers inside their apps about alternative payment options or providing links to outside websites where customers can sign up for subscriptions or purchase digital goods and circumvent Apple’s fees. So even if apps offer another way to pay, users would have to have learned that outside the app, and navigate to the other option themselves. Under the new rules, which have not yet taken effect, app developers will be able to put links inside the app to take customers to a webpage to use a different payment system. In her main ruling, the judge chided Apple for limiting consumer choice. “While some consumers may want the benefits Apple offers (e.g., one-stop shopping, centralization of and easy access to all purchases, increased security due to centralized billing), Apple actively denies them the choice,” Gonzalez Rogers wrote. “Apple created an innovative platform but it did not disclose its rules to the average consumer.” Apple charges developers a 30 percent fee on most purchases made inside apps — sometimes that fee is 15 percent for smaller developers — a cost that could make developers drive up the prices they pass along to users, or limit the cut developers receive. App developers could also choose to offer the ability to make purchases outside the App Store when they didn’t before.

Will this make my app purchases cheaper?

Maybe. If developers don’t have to swallow the 30 percent fee on most purchases, they may be incentivized to drop their prices and direct consumers elsewhere to pay. It could also allow app developers to explore different business models or to make some categories of apps profitable when they weren’t before. Apple may also be incentivized to lower its fees, to keep people purchasing through its system, said John Bergmayer, legal director for Public Knowledge, a nonprofit focused on an open Internet. “Were it to go into effect, I think it would be a win for users in terms of giving them more options, and giving them more price competition,” he said.

When do the changes happen?

The injunction that would allow developers to point to more payment methods takes place in 90 days, on Dec. 9. But there’s always a chance more legal challenges will stop the order from ever taking effect. Both companies are largely expected to appeal parts of the ruling. So we may not know for several weeks or months what app payment options will look like.

How will this change the way I download apps on my iPhone?

It won’t. You will still go to the iOS App Store, search for an app, and download it. That’s a pretty big win for Apple — the judge’s decision did nothing to prevent Apple from continuing to operate app downloads the way it long has. Apple keeps tight control over app downloads by prohibiting “side-loading,” or downloading apps directly from websites, and it also puts the kibosh on third-party app stores. So if you want an app, you will still need to go through its store.

Does this mean Fortnite is coming back to the App Store?

Sorry, no. At least, not yet. This entire case started with Apple removing Fortnite from its store after game-maker Epic gave iOS users an alternative payment option without Apple’s permission, complete with a discount on purchases. Apple kicked Fortnite out of its store, and Epic sued. The judge ruled Friday that Epic has to pay Apple back for 30 percent of the money it took in from its alternative payment option. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney suggested in a tweet Friday that Fortnite was not returning to the store yet. “Fortnite will return to the iOS App Store when and where Epic can offer in-app payment in fair competition with Apple in-app payment, passing along the savings to consumers,” he said. Reed Albergotti contributed to this report.

Technology

How the Apple App Store ruling will change the way you use your phone

Apple must allow app developers to give users alternative ways to pay, a federal judge ruled.

By Rachel Lerman

September 10, 2021 at 3:36 p.m. EDT

Apple must allow app developers to give users alternative ways to pay, a federal judge ruled (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News)

Buying more lives in your favorite mobile game or re-upping your subscription to a personal finance tracker app could soon be cheaper.

A federal judge in California ruled Friday on a hotly anticipated court case involving Apple, Fortnite-maker Epic Games and allegations that Apple was abusing its market power. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said that the court could not conclude that Apple could be considered a monopolist — but she also issued a separate order that will make it easier to pay outside its systems.

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Gonzalez Rogers said Apple must allow app developers to let users know about other ways to pay inside their apps, separate from just paying through Apple’s payment system directly.

If the order takes effect, it could mean app users see more options to pay and might even see prices drop.

Here are five things to know about the decision.

Judge orders Apple to change its App Store practices in long-awaited decision in antitrust trial with Fortnite maker Epic Games