Apple Inc. underlined its concerns to app developers being able to link to third-party payment choices on Friday, ahead of a hearing next month that could determine whether a series of antitrust court orders is put on hold.
After a protracted trial earlier this year, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers gave a verdict in favour of the iPhone maker, upholding its practise of mandating developers to utilise its in-app payment system, for which it collects commissions.
Gonzalez Rogers, on the other hand, voiced worry that users did not have access to information regarding alternative payment methods for apps. She ordered Apple to lift its prohibition on “buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct clients to purchasing methods” other than Apple’s own.
Apple has until Dec. 9 to comply with the decision, but it has filed an appeal and requested that it be placed on hold while the appeal is processed, which could take a year or more. The request will be heard on November 9th.
For the first time, Apple expressed significant opposition to the criteria to allow buttons and links that provide a “mechanism” for outside payments on Friday. The filing is the first indication that Apple is less opposed to developers providing information about other payment methods.
The company claimed that links and buttons interfere with its ability to compel developers to use its in-app payments (IAP), which the court agreed with.
“Restrictions on linking out are inextricably tied to Apple’s requirement that developers use IAP for purchases of digital content—a requirement this Court considered in detail and upheld against Epic’s challenge,” Apple said.
Apple had less problems to in-app messages regarding other modes of payment, but said it might want to “constrain their placement, format, or content,” and that the judge’s orders, as drafted, would prevent it from doing so without facing additional legal challenges.
