Thoughts on Apple vs Epic Ruling

I have been following the recent Apple vs Epic saga play out in court, with recent revelations forcing Apple to allow third party payments without taking a cut.

These changes come as a result of a recent ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who found that Apple violated her 2021 ruling for Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple. Back then, she ordered Apple to allow developers to direct users to other payment systems that would let them avoid paying the company a 30 percent cut. However, Apple still took a 27 percent cut from external purchases, prompting Epic Games to accuse the company of non-compliance in a new legal filing last year. Apple also showed users a “scare screen” when they try to make external purchases, discouraging them from using third-party payment systems. In addition to ordering Apple to stop collecting fees from purchases made outside the App Store, Gonzalez Rogers also prohibited Apple from creating rules that would prevent developers from presenting customers with buttons and links for external payments

While I am sympathetic to indie developers, I see Apple like a mall. You pay for rent and you pay for a portion of revenue. After all you are giving them tools and SDKs, well built ones that they benefit from. And promotion through coming to the App Store, so there’s foot traffic too.

If apps can now divert people to third party payment systems, many will become confused with who to ask for a refund and who is responsible. That safety blanket is no longer there for people to purchase from the one place and refund from the same place.

What will be next? Apple will be asked to allow other phone makers to have access to iOS? This is insane and if I was Tim Cook, pull out of Europe before you get regulated to death.

If you want the features of Android and the distrust of malware on the App Store, buy an Android. I for one like my closed ecosystem. What do you think ?