Developers Seek Billions in Lost Earnings as New Class Action Lawsuit Challenges Apple's App Store Practices

A developer has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, seeking to recover 15 months of commissions developers could have earned if they were allowed to use external links for purchases instead of mandatory in-app subscriptions following an App Store ruling. The court ordered Apple to end anti-steering practices, but enforcement was delayed until January 2024. The developer claims that due to Apple's violation of the injunction, developers were forced to pay unnecessary commission fees or face issues with a broken external payment system. The lawsuit could involve up to 136,000 developers and potentially billions in damages. However, the legal theory behind the lawsuit is untested, as the court initially only required Apple to remove anti-steering rules, which it did, albeit through a flawed implementation.