Published Jul 5th, 2024 6:45PM EDT
Hours after Epic Games complained on X about Apple blocking its third-party app marketplace from launching on iPhone and iPad in the European Union, Apple immediately reversed course. On Friday afternoon, Reuters reported that Apple approved the Epic Games Store for its mobile devices following Epic’s latest round of grousing.
Earlier today, Epic explained that Apple had already rejected the Epic Games Store notarization submission twice. Apple told Epic that its “Install” button and “In-app purchases” label in the Epic Games Store were too similar to the App Store’s “Get” button and “In-App Purchases” label. This is apparently enough to reject a submission altogether.
Approximately nine hours later, Epic Games shared the following update on X:
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
According to IGN, Apple still wants Epic to fix the issue in a future submission, but the company is no longer going to block the Epic Sweden AB Marketplace app.
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It’s unclear what made Apple change its mind so quickly, but we have a feeling it had something to do with Epic sharing its concerns with the European Commission. Apple has repeatedly faced intense criticism from other app makers in the EU for Digital Markets Act (DMA) violations. Apple was already fined over €1.8 billion for “abusing its dominant position on the market,” and faces another massive fine if it doesn’t make more changes.
This was the final hurdle that Epic Games needed to overcome to launch its app marketplace in Europe. That said, don’t expect the Epic store to suddenly be available in the coming days. Last week, Epic reiterated that it’s “targeting the next couple months for the store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU.” The mobile store and Fortnite are coming to Apple devices in the EU, but Europeans are going to have to wait until later this summer to download them.
Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.
