US Court Rejects Apple's Delay Bid, Orders App Store Fee Details Within 24 Hours; Epic Gets 60-Day Review

The US District Court for the Northern District of California recently rejected Apple's application to delay submission of its new App Store commission scheme. The decision stems from the long-running legal battle between Apple and Epic Games over App Store commission rates and in-app purchase rules. The court ordered Apple's legal team to submit a detailed fee schedule for external payment links within 24 hours, after which Epic Games will have 60 days to conduct legal analysis and questioning of the proposal in preparation for a subsequent court hearing.

The legal dispute originated from the removal of the game Fortnite from the App Store after it introduced a third-party payment system. While Apple had prevailed on many of its claims in earlier proceedings, it lost on the anti-steering provision, and the court required Apple to allow developers to guide users to external payment channels. Epic subsequently argued that Apple had not substantially complied with the spirit of the ruling, leading to a new round of friction. Since May 2026, the two sides have been exchanging evidence and undergoing review procedures regarding the external-link fee proposal.

As to whether Fortnite will return to the macOS platform, the relevant proceedings are currently in the final adjudication stage. Technical conditions already exist to support the game's return to Mac, including Epic's restoration of its developer account in the European Union, as well as a standalone macOS version of the Epic Games Store and app signing support. However, the final outcome still awaits the court's decision.