Following a 2021 ruling that ruled that Apple must not block developers from offering “buttons, external links, or other calls to action” informing users about payment options outside of their apps, Microsoft, Meta, and others filed an opinion alleging that Apple is simply not acting according to the rules, circumventing the decision.
Apple has historically told developers that they must use the App Store's in-app purchases when selling items and subscriptions to users, but the earlier decision means they should also be able to direct those same users to their own website for potentially cheaper prices. .
However, the companies claim that the way Apple is behaving makes a mockery of this situation.
The opinion, which also includes Match Group and X (former Twitter), are all involved in its presentation. And the document makes for interesting reading.
“Apple's new restrictions are clearly designed to make alternatives to Apple's IAP impractical for developers and inaccessible and unattractive to consumers, thereby circumventing both the spirit and underlying purposes of the injunction,” the opinion says.
The document argues that Apple's requirement for 12% to 27% of transactions to be carried out externally makes the entire process meaninglesssaving developers very little compared to the alternative option of using Apple's own internal system.
Apple, in turn, argues that it “fully complied with the Injunction”, but those who presented the opinion would certainly argue otherwise.