Apple has requested an emergency stay from an appellate court this week to pause enforcement of a recent court ruling that would significantly impact its App Store policies. The contentious ruling, issued last week by U.S. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, mandates that Apple allow U.S.-based iOS app developers to redirect customers to external payment platforms, effectively prohibiting Apple from collecting its usual commissions on such transactions. Additionally, the ruling forbids Apple from displaying so-called “scare screens,” the pop-up warnings cautioning users against the risks of completing payments through external systems.
The court’s decision marks a crucial victory for Epic Games, which has been embroiled in lengthy litigation with Apple. Judge Rogers had determined that Apple failed to adequately comply with her original 2021 injunction. At that time, while the court required Apple to permit developers to link to outside payment options, the company subsequently began taking a 27% commission on these external transactions and displayed the contested warning screens.
In its request filed late Wednesday, Apple argued that the latest order dramatically expanded the scope and severity of the injunction. Apple stated that such extensive changes had never before been deemed unlawful, noting that the new restrictions effectively punished conduct not previously judged illegal. The company further contended that enforcing these prohibitions without a pause would result in significant and irreparable financial harm annually.
Apple also highlighted its compliance with the original injunction, asserting it did permit app developers to redirect to their own payment sites—despite imposing commissions on those external transactions. This practice has since been targeted directly by the latest ruling.
In response to the court’s recent stance, Apple quickly lodged an appeal earlier this week seeking to overturn the ruling altogether. In the interim, however, the company’s request for an emergency stay aims to mitigate the immediate financial impact and disruptions to its App Store operations. Already, major companies like Spotify and Amazon have adapted their applications to take advantage of linking to their own external payment interfaces, further underscoring the ruling’s practical effects on Apple’s revenue stream.
