Shortly
- Apple changed its iOS App Developer Guidelines in the wake of a ruling from a federal court this week.
- Developers are now able to offer a variety of external payment methods as well as enabling the purchasing of NFTs through secondary marketplaces.
- Some cryptocurrency-related restrictions still apply to iPhone and iPad apps.
Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, won an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday. The iPhone manufacturer loosened the restrictions that developers had to follow in order to provide apps to U.S. users which direct them to digital collectibles or non-standard purchase methods.
Apple has updated the iOS App Store Check out our review Guidelines After a U.S. Judge found in this week’s ruling that the tech giant “willfully” broke a court-issued injunction from 2021. The federal court has now prohibited Apple to collect fees for purchases outside its iOS apps (27% currently) or to limit developers’ abilities to send users to third party websites.
The email was obtained from DecryptApple has informed iOS developers that the “apps in the United States Storefront” are not compatible with iOS devices. [no longer] It is prohibited to include buttons, links to external sites, or any other call to action in a way that allows users to view NFT collections of others.”
Email added: “The United States storefront does not have a prohibition that encourages users to make purchases other than through in-app purchasing.”
The loosened restrictions may not affect in-app functions, like buying premium content and in-game boosters. However, Wojciech Kulikowski, a Software Engineer at Farcaster, Writer Decentralized Media Protocol
Apple will now allow more mobile applications that are crypto-native to be tested. [iOS] App Store” he replied. Decrypt.
OpenSea and other NFT platforms have very limited iOS functionality. The NFT marketplaces like OpenSea have limited functionality through their iOS apps.
Magic Eden is one of the companies that have developed digital wallets which allow their users to purchase in-app using an embedded browser. This feature is similar to self-custodial Wallets provided by companies like MetaMask Coinbase and Uniswap.
Apple’s iOS App Store guidelines continue to include restrictions on cryptocurrencies. The crypto apps can’t offer users currency in exchange for completing certain tasks. They also cannot facilitate Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) or use the devices of their users to mine digital currencies.
Google Play Store updated policies in 2023. Allowing The NFTs will unlock the in-app content, regardless of how they are purchased. Apple’s biggest rival on mobile demanded game developers reveal whether they were using blockchain-based experiences, like Epic Games.
Apple has not responded to the request from Decrypt.
Andrew Hayward edited the book
