NewsApple changes App Store rules to allow external purchasesSpecific exceptions have been carved out for US app developers.Specific exceptions have been carved out for US app developers.by Jess WeatherbedMay 2, 2025, 9:53 AM UTCLinkFacebookThreadsImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeJess Weatherbed is a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews.Apple has updated its App Store Guidelines around external payments and links in response to the injunction issued this week in the Epic Games v. Apple case. The changes, spotted by 9to5Mac, allow developers to steer users outside Apple’s App Store to make external purchases in compliance with the ruling.Language has been updated in sections 3.1.1, 3.2.1(a), 3.1.3, and 3.1.3(a) of the App Store Guidelines, which all focus on acceptable purchase methods. Rules that ban apps from including “buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase” now include an exemption for apps hosted by the US storefront.Related‘Cook chose poorly’: how Apple blew up its control over the App StoreApple sure has had a rough 2025On Wednesday, judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphatically ruled that Apple cannot restrict app developers from including links or buttons for external purchases, interfere with app users’ choice to go to third-party sites, or impose “any commission or any fee on purchases that consumers make outside an app.” Apple said it will comply with the court order while it appeals the decision.“The App Review Guidelines have been updated for compliance with a United States court decision regarding buttons, external links, and other calls to action in apps,” Apple said in an email sent to developers, seen by 9to5Mac. “These changes affect apps distributed on the United States storefront of the App Store.”See More: AppleAppsLawNewsPolicyTechMost PopularMost PopularMark Zuckerberg just declared war on the entire advertising industryMicrosoft is raising prices on Xbox consoles, controllers, and games worldwide‘Cook chose poorly’: how Apple blew up its control over the App StoreSlate Auto confirms where it’ll build its $20,000 TruckAmazon has no choice but to display tariffs on prices nowInstallerA weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad
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