Apple authorizes sideloaded Epic Games store after blocking it for a third time

Summary: Epic Games has been battling Apple’s closed ecosystem for years. Despite a recent court case favoring Apple, new EU legislation has given Epic a new opportunity. However, Apple has been throwing roadblocks in their path, resulting in a hefty fine from Europe.

Epic Games recently announced that their sideloaded iOS game store has finally passed Apple’s submission process after facing some last-minute hurdles. The company stated that Apple delayed the Epic store’s approval due to the similarity of its buttons to those on the official App Store.

Epic accused Apple of arbitrarily rejecting their submission, claiming that the buttons for installing apps and accessing in-app purchases were too similar to Apple’s. This conflict arose from the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which mandated Apple to allow sideloading and alternative software distribution channels on their devices.

Update: Apple has informed us that our previously rejected Epic Games Store notarization submission has now been accepted. https://t.co/tl5LY1aQD6

– Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024

DailyTech reported that Apple worked with Epic to address the issue and had already greenlit a sideloaded iOS version of Fortnite, albeit not Epic’s launcher for the game. Apple cited a clause in their terms of service stating that alternate app stores should not be “confusingly similar” to the official one.

Fortnite and the Epic store are on track for a relaunch on iOS in Europe, but concerns linger among regulators and third-party developers regarding Apple’s compliance with the DMA. Both Epic and Spotify have criticized Apple’s fees and terms for releasing sideloaded apps.

Apple’s policies are under scrutiny in one of two EU investigations. One probe focuses on the developer membership rules that led to Epic’s temporary ban earlier this year. The other investigation found Apple in violation of the DMA by restricting how developers could communicate payment options to customers, potentially resulting in a $38 billion fine. If further violations are uncovered, a second fine could double the initial penalty.

Outside of Europe, Apple’s closed ecosystem remains unchanged. While countries like Japan, South Korea, and certain US states have looked into Apple’s app distribution and payment processing regulations, no actions on the scale of the DMA have been proposed. Since a US court ruled against Epic in 2021, Fortnite has only been accessible on iOS through a browser-based streaming service.