Apple just got slapped for 'non-competitive conduct' by Australias top court and ordered to allow rival iPhone app stores Down Under

Date:
Fri, 23 Oct 2026 01:16:31 +0000

Description:
Fortnite developer Epic Games has scored a victory against Apple in a legal ruling, not only to restore the popular game to the App Store in Australia
but to also open up the latters software to rival app marketplaces.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Federal Court of Australia orders Apple to open up its iOS ecosystem in Australia to third-party app stores Apple is also ordered to restore Epic Games' Fortnite back onto the Australian App Store Apple denies it has a monopoly in Australia and plans to appeal the decision The Federal Court of Australia has ordered Apple to fully open up its iOS ecosystem in the country to third-party competitors, with Justice Jonathan Beach ruling that the tech giant misused its market power to maintain a monopoly over app distribution and in-app payments.

The ruling has also ordered Apple to restore the video game Fortnite and
other Epic Games apps back onto the Australian App Store, six years after the Cupertino tech giant banned the game for bypassing Apples payment systems. Both orders are set to take effect at noon Australian Eastern time on March
1, 2027. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

In response to regulatory or judicial constraints imposed in connection with the App Store that are anything other than detailed, prescriptive and
precise, Apple has systematically implemented practices that seek to circumvent the practical effects of those constraints, the ruling read.

Beach also said that Apple devised and pursued a deliberate and comprehensive strategy of foreclosure in relation to iOS app distribution. You may like Apple Pay faces UK crackdown that could change iPhone tap-to-pay Russian tech giant VK is suing Apple for blocking its apps and wants $696,000 a day in compensation Epic Games Store will join Nvidia GeForce Now with full Linux support soon

An Apple spokesperson told TechRadar that the company does not have a
monopoly position in Australia or in any market around the world. We respectfully disagree with many findings in this case, including a market definition that has been rejected by other courts.

We will request a stay and appeal the outcome to seek a resolution that respects our intellectual property and protects the safe, secure experience that consumers and developers expect from the App Store. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Apple has until February 15 to appeal this decision.

TechRadar has also contacted Epic Games for comment, though Epic Games CEO
Tim Sweeney took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate the ruling. The Australian Epic v Apple antitrust remedies were just issued, and are a huge victory for consumers and developers. We are studying the verdict and will share more soon.
The Court has freed Fortnite in Australia and it will return alongside the Epic Games Storesoon. https://t.co/Ib1FIu1z9t October 22, 2026 Apple and Epic Games have been going back and forth in courts ever since the former removed Fortnite from the Apple App Store in August 2020 for selling the in-game currency V-bucks in a way that would circumvent Apples 30% commission fee on in-app purchases. What to read next Google's ad tech monopoly will remain,
but must relax rules and appoint antitrust monitor Microsoft turns to the UK Supreme Court after losing twice over second-hand software licenses, and billions could ride on the outcome 'Illegal and baseless': US judge blocks
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Last year, the US Supreme Court also ruled that Apple engaged in anti-competitive conduct and pricing . A separate ruling in 2024, meanwhile, forced Apple to allow US customers to add links and buttons inside their apps that bring them out to a website where they can input credit card
information, though it ultimately didnt grant Epic Games petition to open iOS to competing stores and payments. Sweeney, at the time, called the ruling a sad outcome for all developers . (Image credit: Epic Games) No more
loopholes? With Apple looking to appeal this ruling, these changes are far from guaranteed to happen in March next year, but it would be interesting to see if the tech giant will adopt a similar compliance through friction strategy in Australia.

The 2024 ruling above saw Apple implement a 27% commission on transactions completed on those external websites, a disclosure warning and restricted developers from using traditional buttons or persuasive calls-to-action language.

The European Unions Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced Apple to allow third-party app stores, sideloading (installing apps through websites) and alternative in-app payments. Apple, instead, found workarounds like implementing a Core Technology Fee (charging developers that opt out of the App Store 50 euro cents per first annual install regardless of whether the developer made any money), using convoluted and multi-step installation processes for third-party app stores and requiring alternate app store developers to secure a $1 million standby letter of credit.

Justice Beach called them deterrence tactics, saying the fees blocked any genuine prospect of competition and explicitly addressed those disproportionate frictions, non-neutral disclosure sheets and discriminatory fees in the ruling.

The ruling outlines specific bans that Apple has to follow: implementing the Core Technology Fee 27% commissions on on transactions done through external websites disclosure sheets forcing developers into new, bundled contracts
just to use alternative distribution requiring developers to also display Apples In-App Purchase (IAP) button alongside their preferred payment method forcing developers to appoint Apple as their legal "agent" for marketing and delivery. Some potential workarounds that Apple may explore could be under
the guise of security standards, using user interface design to discourage users and aggressive geofencing, or we could even see something completely different.

In any case, this is far from the last time that Apple and Epic Games will face each other in court, with Apples appeal to the US Supreme Court
scheduled for sometime during its October 20262027 term. The EU is still actively investigating Apple while Epic Games continues to challenge Cupertinos policies under the DMA. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/apple-just-got-slapped-for-non-competi tive-conduct-by-australias-top-court-and-ordered-to-allow-rival-iphone-app-sto res-down-under


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