Apple vs Epic ruling opens door for crypto payments and NFT features in iOS apps

The legal war between Apple and Epic Games just ripped a massive hole in how apps are allowed to function on iOS. A federal court in California ruled that Apple violated a 2021 injunction and was blocking fair competition.

This ruling now forces Apple to let developers accept crypto payments and use NFT features inside iOS apps without going through Apple’s in-app system or paying its 30% fee. As of right now, Fortnite is coming back to the U.S. iOS App Store, and app developers finally have more control over their own money.

According to Variety, the ruling didn’t just end Apple’s monopoly on app payments. It opens a clear path for mobile crypto wallets to plug directly into iOS apps. That means apps can now take USDC, ETH, SOL, and other crypto assets straight from users—no middlemen, no extra fees, no Apple tax. 

The ruling also allows apps to include NFT marketplace functions directly in the app itself. No more sending users to a mobile browser to complete a sale. NFT apps can now handle the full transaction inside the app.

Court says Apple lied and blocks all new anti-competitive moves

The decision came from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who said Apple broke the court’s earlier order on purpose. In her words, “Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated.”

She said Apple was not following the law and instead kept building new ways to block developers from using off-app payments. She made it clear the injunction is active now, and Apple is banned from putting new commissions or limits on developers who use their own payment rails.

Apple had removed Epic Games’ developer account back in August 2020, right after the original lawsuit. Fortnite was pulled from the App Store, and other Epic titles disappeared. That account was only reinstated in Europe last year.

Now, it’s coming back to the United States. The court ruled that Apple tried to get around the previous order by pretending to comply while actually continuing to choke off competition.

Judge Rogers specifically called out Alex Roman, Apple’s VP of Finance, for lying under oath. She said Apple’s internal documents showed they knew exactly what they were doing.

“In stark contrast to Apple’s initial in-court testimony, contemporaneous business documents reveal that Apple knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option,” she said.

Sweeney says it’s a win for devs and opens NFT utilities inside apps

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said the ruling is exactly what developers have been pushing for. “It’s a huge victory for developers,” Tim said during a press call.

“This means all developers can offer both Apple’s payment service side by side with their own payment service. Apple cannot charge fees on the developers’ own payment services, and developers are free to pass along savings to customers by through differentiated pricing.”

Tim explained that the decision now forces Apple to actually compete in the market like everyone else. “What this does is it forces Apple to compete with other payment services, rather than blocking them,” he said.

“This is what we wanted all along. We’ve always acknowledged Apple’s right to operate their own store; their right to operate their own payment service. We’ve just always wanted a level playing field in which developers can compete with Apple to offer their own products, and then consumers are free to choose the best, and let the best product win.”

Beyond payments, the ruling changes how NFTs can be used in iOS apps. Previously, apps weren’t allowed to use NFTs to unlock special features. That tactic was considered a way to dodge Apple’s fees, so the company banned it.

Now, with the new court decision, it seems that the restriction is also dead. Developers can use NFTs to give users access to gated content or features without worrying about Apple’s approval.

One thing the ruling didn’t fix is the crypto fiat on-ramp problem. People who don’t already own crypto will still need to go through the same old KYC process to buy it.

Apple can’t block crypto payments anymore, but that doesn’t mean users can skip identity checks when converting dollars into crypto. That part is still handled outside the App Store, and it’s not going away.

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