Apple Opens the Floodgates: New App Store Guidelines Allow Links to External Payments

Apple Updates App Store Guidelines to Allow Links to External Payments

Apple has updated its App Store Guidelines in response to a court injunction from the Epic Games v. Apple case. The new rules, effective for apps on the U.S. storefront, permit the inclusion of buttons, external links, and other calls to action that allow users to browse NFT collections or use alternative payment methods. This change comes after Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple had willfully ignored a previous injunction. Despite complying with the court order, Apple has stated its disagreement and plans to appeal.

Notable changes include:

• 3.1.1: Apps can now include buttons and external links for browsing NFT collections owned by others.
• 3.1.1(a): On the U.S. storefront, there is no prohibition on including such elements.
• 3.1.3: The rule against encouraging users to use alternative payment methods does not apply on the U.S. storefront.
• 3.1.3(a): The External Link Account entitlement is no longer required for these features.

Several companies, including a music streaming service, have already started updating their apps to comply with the new guidelines.