Epic Games files for an appeal as the battle with
Apple rages on
Hopeful for another shot at winning the case, Epic continues to challenge Apple’s stance that third-party app stores pose a security risk for iOS.
By Kevin Dai on May 28, 2022
As with any battle royale-esque fiasco, there can only be one fighter left standing.
Following Apple’s appeal of the antitrust case in early October of last year, Epic Games has put forth their own appeal reply, emphasizing that the court was swayed by Apple’s “exaggerations” which resulted in a conclusion that was less than favorable for Epic.
In their recent appeal, Epic Games challenges Apple’s claim that allowing third-party app stores to run on iOS would mean compromising the security of the iPhone. Epic highlights the presence of third-party app stores on the macOS as proof that the Epic Games store can function on the iPhone without any risk–– after all, if Apple’s macOS is acknowledged as secure despite the use of third-party app stores, why not iOS?
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction towards Apple's use of "misinformation" in hyping up the supposed security risk posed by third-party apps, otherwise known as "sideloaded" apps.
Apple has hit back at Epic Games by reiterating that iOS and macOS are fundamentally different, and that the integration of third-party app stores would mean remodeling the iOS ecosystem entirely, as stated in Apple's 2021 threat analysis handbook:
“To provide reliability and security for users while establishing a platform for third-party developers to create and distribute apps, Apple built industry- leading security protections into iPhone and created the App Store, a trusted place where users could safely download vetted third-party apps.”
The sudden influx of appeals from both sides of the legal battle comes hot at the heels of the September ruling for Epic Games v. Apple, where a California judge declared that Apple did not possess a monopoly over digital mobile gaming transactions, dashing any hope of Epic Games coming out on top. However, the ruling also stated that Apple could not prevent developers from establishing alternative payment options within the app, which is interpreted as a partial victory for Epic Games.
According to the ruling:
"Apple Inc. and its officers, agents, servants, employees, and any person in active concert or participation with them (“Apple”), are hereby permanently restrained and enjoined from prohibiting developers from (i) including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing and (ii) communicating with customers through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app."
Epic Games’s acclaimed battle royale game Fortnite is still blacklisted from the App Store, and as Apple and Epic Games continue to duke it out in the legal realm, it seems that trigger-happy iOS gamers will have to keep waiting it out.