Australia's Federal Court Ordered Apple to Open the iPhone to Rival App Stores--Competing Stores, Web Downloads and Outside Payments for Australian Apple Accounts From Noon on March 1, 2027, 85 Percent of Epic's Trial Costs, Fortnite Back in the App Store, and Apple Says It Will Seek a Stay and Appeal

2026October 25, 2026Macs Only!Apple business
Two rounded app icons side by side on a soft blue background with cloud-like highlights: the iOS icon with the letters iOS in glass over swirls of teal and dark blue, and the blue App Store icon with its white A made of three popsicle sticks.
Photo: Apple · Two rounded app icons side by side on a soft blue background with cloud-like highlights: the iOS icon with the letters iOS in glass over swirls of teal and dark blue, and the blue App Store icon with its white A made of three popsicle sticks.

Australia's Federal Court ordered Apple to open the iPhone to rival app stores, downloads from the web and payment systems other than its own, for users whose Apple Account region is Australia, from noon Melbourne time on March 1, 2027. Justice Jonathan Beach made the orders in Epic Games v Apple (No 2) on October 22 in Melbourne, after finding in August 2025 that Apple had misused its market power. Epic sued in Australia in 2020 after Apple blocked Fortnite updates over Epic's own payment system and Apple's 30 percent commission, as MacRumors' report on the 2025 ruling recorded. Apple told Reuters it will ask for a stay and appeal.

What Apple must do by March 1, 2027

MacRumors' report on the orders sets out the terms. Apple must let users find, download, install and update apps through competing marketplaces and websites without charging for access or obstructing them, must give developers the tools on substantially the same terms as App Store distribution, and cannot penalize a developer for using another store or payment service. Developers may offer other payment methods and link to them without having to offer Apple's system alongside, report the transactions or submit to Apple's audits. Apple may not charge a fee on purchases made through other payment services or websites in apps distributed outside the App Store; for App Store apps, fees are capped at the equivalent charge for payments for physical goods or services, plus any genuine, reasonable additional costs Apple incurs for digital purchases. Apps installed from outside the App Store must still pass an automated security or privacy scan and be notarized by Apple or a qualified third party, and Apple may remove or disable them only for harmful content, a genuine security risk or a legal requirement. Apple can apply between February 1 and February 15 for an extension to May 3, 2027.

What the judge found, and what he refused

9to5Mac's report on the decision quotes Justice Beach's finding that Apple held "a substantial degree of power in the iOS app distribution services market and the iOS in-app payment solutions market," and that the removal of Fortnite and the termination of Epic's developer account in 2020 were "a paradigm example of Apple's enforcement of its restrictive terms, in contravention of" section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. He refused Epic's request to extend the orders worldwide and let Apple keep notarization and security scanning. He ordered Apple to pay 85 percent of Epic's costs of the original trial. The order to readmit Fortnite and Epic's other apps took effect at once; Epic said the game would be back the next day, and ABC News reported its return on Friday, October 23, after six years away, in a ruling it says reaches an estimated 15 million Australian Apple users. Justice Beach, ABC News reports, said Apple had broken the law with an "intricate web of terms and technical measures."

Apple's answer, and what it did when the EU and Brazil asked

Apple's statement, given to Reuters and quoted by 9to5Mac and ABC News: "We will request a stay and appeal the outcome to seek a resolution that respects our intellectual property and protects the safe, secure experience that consumers and developers expect from the App Store." Apple has opened iOS before when made to. Apple's January 25, 2024 announcement brought alternative app marketplaces and notarization for iOS apps to the European Union under the Digital Markets Act, and Apple's page for marketplace operators now charges a 5 percent Core Technology Commission on sales through them. Apple's August 18, 2026 revision of its EU terms moved every EU developer to one set of terms from October 1. Apple's June 18, 2026 announcement for Brazil says the new options "open new avenues for malware, fraud, scams, and privacy and security risks" and pairs them with notarization, in iOS 26.5. 9to5Mac notes that Apple makes developers report outside transactions and offer its own payment system alongside in Brazil and Japan; the Australian orders forbid both, and any fee on outside purchases in apps distributed outside the App Store.

Then and now

On October 25, 2005, our report on the iTunes Music Store opening in Australia carried Apple's own words: over one million songs at A$1.69 each and Eddy Cue "thrilled to bring the revolutionary iTunes Music Store to Australia." Our July 2008 hands-on report on iPhone Software 2.0 downloaded the first two apps from the new App Store, Remote and WeatherBug. Twenty-one years after Apple opened its store to Australians, an Australian court has told Apple to open its phone to other stores. The Mac has taken software from anywhere for forty-two years and is none the worse for it, and we expect Australian iPhones will manage too.

Sources

  1. Federal Court of Australia, “Epic Games, Inc v Apple Inc (No 2) [2026] FCA 1552” accessed Oct 25, 2026The orders of Justice Beach dated October 22, 2026 in Epic Games, Inc v Apple Inc (No 2), the page MacRumors, 9to5Mac and the Australian Competition Law case database link as the judgment. The court's site answered HTTP 403 to this run's fetcher, and no download tool was permitted, so the body takes from this page only the case name and date; every term of the orders is taken as MacRumors, 9to5Mac and ABC News report it.
  2. MacRumors, “Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia - MacRumors” accessed Oct 25, 2026Hartley Charlton, Wednesday October 21, 2026, 10:41 pm PDT: "Australia's Federal Court today ordered Apple to allow competing app stores, direct app downloads, and alternative payment services for Australian users from March 1, 2027"; the orders follow the court's August 2025 finding that Apple misused its market power; "They cover users whose Apple Account region is Australia"; users may find, download, install and update apps through competing marketplaces and websites without charges for access or obstruction; tools on substantially the same terms as App Store distribution; no penalizing developers for using competing stores or payment services; alternative payments and links, with no requirement to offer Apple's system alongside, report the transactions or allow audits; no fee on purchases through alternative payment services or websites in apps distributed outside the App Store; "For App Store apps, fees are capped at the equivalent charge for payments for physical goods or services, plus any genuine, reasonable additional costs Apple incurs for digital purchases"; "Apps downloaded outside the App Store must undergo an automated security or privacy scan and be notarized by Apple or a qualified third party"; removal or disabling only for harmful content, genuine security risks or legal requirements; "Apple told Reuters that it plans to appeal the ruling and ask the court to pause its enforcement"; "The changes take effect at noon Melbourne time on March 1, 2027. Apple can apply between February 1 and February 15, with supporting evidence, for a court-approved extension until May 3"; links the judgment at judgments.fedcourt.gov.au; accessed October 25, 2026.
  3. 9to5Mac, “Apple must open iPhone to alternative app stores in Australia after Epic Games ruling - 9to5Mac” accessed Oct 25, 2026Marcus Mendes, October 21, 2026, 8:57 pm PT: iPhone users with Australian Apple Accounts may install apps from third-party app stores and websites from March 1, 2027; Justice Jonathan Beach said Apple held "a substantial degree of power in the iOS app distribution services market and the iOS in-app payment solutions market"; Fortnite's removal and the termination of Epic's developer account in 2020 were "a paradigm example of Apple's enforcement of its restrictive terms, in contravention of" section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010; the order to readmit Fortnite and other eligible Epic apps "takes effect immediately, with Apple required to act upon receiving a written application from Epic"; the court prohibited Apple from requiring developers to report transactions through alternative payment providers or to offer Apple's payment system alongside, "both of which are requirements the company imposes in other regions, including Brazil and Japan"; "Judge Beach rejected Epic's request to extend the court's injunctions worldwide" and allowed security scanning and notarization; "the court ordered Apple to pay 85% of Epic's legal costs incurred through the original trial"; Epic: "Fortnite is coming back to the App Store in Australia tomorrow"; Apple to Reuters: "We will request a stay and appeal the outcome to seek a resolution that respects our intellectual property and protects the safe, secure experience that consumers and developers expect from the App Store"; accessed October 25, 2026.
  4. ABC News (Australia), “Apple forced to change app store rules in a win for roughly 15 million Australian users - ABC News” accessed Oct 25, 2026Ange Lavoipierre, national technology reporter, posted Friday October 23, 2026 at 4:52 pm: "Federal Court Justice Jonathan Beach ruled on Thursday"; "an estimated 15 million Australian Apple users, who will soon be able to download apps from the open web as well as rival app stores"; Justice Beach said Apple had contravened the Competition and Consumer Act with an "intricate web of terms and technical measures"; Apple ordered "to pay 85 per cent of Epic Games' legal costs from the months-long trial"; "The decision signals the immediate return of one of the world's most popular games, Fortnite, to Apple's Australian app store from today, after a six-year hiatus"; Apple's statement to Reuters as quoted; accessed October 25, 2026.
  5. MacRumors, “Fortnite Coming Back to iPhone in Australia After Epic's Legal Victory - MacRumors” accessed Oct 25, 2026Tim Hardwick, Tuesday August 12, 2025, 5:42 am PDT: Federal judge Jonathan Beach found that Apple and Google had broken the law by misusing their market power in the way they run their app stores; "Epic began legal proceedings against Apple in Australia in 2020 after it blocked Fortnite updates when Epic attempted to let players make in-app purchases via its own third-party payment service, bypassing Apple's 30% commission"; Apple expressed disagreement with the ruling; accessed October 25, 2026.
  6. Apple Newsroom, “Apple announces changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European Union - Apple” accessed Oct 25, 2026January 25, 2024: changes to iOS, Safari and the App Store in the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act; "New options for distributing iOS apps from alternative app marketplaces"; "Notarization for iOS apps, a baseline review that applies to all apps, regardless of their distribution channel" (the page's dash rendered as a comma); accessed October 25, 2026.
  7. Apple Developer, “Operating an alternative app marketplace in the EU - Support - Apple Developer” accessed Oct 25, 2026Read October 25, 2026: "Alternative app marketplaces and apps distributed through them are subject to a 5% Core Technology Commission (CTC) on the sales of paid apps and digital goods or services".
  8. Apple Newsroom, “Apple announces changes for apps in the European Union - Apple” accessed Oct 25, 2026August 18, 2026: changes to Apple's business terms for apps in the EU following collaboration with the European Commission; "moving every developer that distributes apps in the EU to a single set of business terms"; "Developers can sign the new terms today, and changes will go into effect on October 1"; the hero image Apple-App-Store-compliance-hero_inline.jpg.large.jpg, alt "Two icons representing iOS and the App Store."; accessed October 25, 2026.
  9. Apple Newsroom, “Apple announces changes to iOS in Brazil - Apple” accessed Oct 25, 2026June 18, 2026: new options in Brazil for alternative app marketplaces and payments outside Apple In-App Purchase; "The new options for alternative app marketplaces and app payments open new avenues for malware, fraud, scams, and privacy and security risks"; protections include "Notarization for iOS apps"; developers can integrate them "beginning today as part of iOS 26.5"; accessed October 25, 2026.

Then and now

All pairings

In 2005 Apple opened the iTunes Music Store to Australians at A$1.69 a song; in 2026 Australia's Federal Court ordered Apple to open the iPhone to other stores from March 1, 2027.

Also on October 25, other years

Every October 25 since 1997

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