Apple Approves Epic Games Store for EU After Initially Rejecting It

Smartphone with Epic Games logo is seen in front of Apple logo in this illustration taken, on May 2, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Apple has approved the Epic Games Store for iOS in Europe after the “Fortnite” developer accused the iPhone maker of violating the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) by rejecting its application.

The gaming company stated on X on Friday that Apple had rejected its notarization submission twice because of the design similarity between its marketplace app and Apple’s own App Store.

Apple cited similarities in the positioning of the Epic Games Store’s “Install” button to Apple’s “Get” button, and the design of its “In-app purchases” label to Apple’s label, as the reasons behind its decision.

Epic Games argued that it used the same naming conventions commonly used across popular app stores on other platforms, and followed the standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps.

“We’re just trying to build a store that mobile users can easily understand, and the disclosure of in-app purchases is a regulatory best practice followed by all stores nowadays,” the company stated.

“Apple’s rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA, and we’ve shared our concerns with the European Commission,” it added.

Shortly after, Epic Games provided an update on X stating that Apple has since reversed its decision by accepting its application.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney also shared the news on his X account, saying the application’s “development is back on track.” In a subsequent post, however, he said Apple’s approval was only temporary.

“Apple is now telling reporters that this approval is temporary and are demanding we change the buttons in the next version—which would make our store less standard and harder to use. We’ll fight this,” he wrote.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Apple for comment but did not hear back by publication time.

EU Finds Apple’s App Store Rules Violate DMA

In June, the European Commission said that Apple’s App Store rules are in violation of the EU’s DMA because they prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels.

“Steering is key to ensure that app developers are less dependent on gatekeepers’ app stores and for consumers to be aware of better offers,” Margrethe Vestager, EU’s executive vice-president in charge of competition policy, said in a statement.

“We have also opened proceedings against Apple in relation to its so-called core technology fee and various rules for allowing third party app stores and sideloading,” she added.

The commission said it found that none of Apple’s business terms allow developers to freely steer customers away from the App Store. Apple allows steering only through “link-outs,” where developers can include a link in their app that redirects their customers to a web page, it added.

While Apple is permitted to charge a fee for facilitating the initial acquisition of a new customer through its App Store, the commission said the fees charged by Apple “go beyond what is strictly necessary.”

The commission stated that it would issue a “non-compliance decision” within 12 months from the March 25, 2024 commencement of proceedings if its preliminary findings on Apple are confirmed.