Apple has formally asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the court rulings that forced major changes to App Store payment rules in the United States, continuing its long-running legal fight with Epic Games over developer fees and external payment links inside iPhone apps.
The latest filing focuses on the April 2025 contempt ruling that blocked Apple from collecting fees on external payment links in U.S. App Store apps. That decision came after Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple violated a 2021 injunction by introducing new fees and restrictions that still limited developers from directing users to outside payment systems.
Apple originally allowed developers to add external payment links after the 2021 ruling, but it continued charging a 12 to 27 percent commission on purchases made outside the App Store. Developers also faced design restrictions that limited apps to a single plain-text link, which reduced the usefulness of the option.
Apple says courts are expanding the original injunction
In its Supreme Court petition, Apple argues that the lower courts improperly relied on the “spirit” of the injunction rather than the actual wording of the order when finding the company in contempt.
Apple said:
“Under that rule, the potent weapon of contempt turns on an amorphous, know-it-when-you-see-it inquiry that permits a court to impose contempt merely by declaring a violation of an order’s ‘spirit.’”
The company also argued that injunctions must remain specific and clearly defined, pointing to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65 as support for its position.
Another major part of Apple’s argument focuses on the nationwide impact of the ruling. Apple says the case only involved Epic Games, but the court order now affects millions of developers that were never part of the lawsuit.
“Yet the injunction here enjoins Apple and the commissions it can charge with respect to millions of registered worldwide developers that are not parties to this case.”
Apple believes the current ruling gives courts too much power to reshape App Store business rules far beyond the original dispute.
Supreme Court decision could arrive soon
Apple and Epic Games agreed to an expedited schedule, and the Supreme Court is expected to consider Apple’s petition on June 25. The company expects to learn whether the justices will hear the case before the court begins its summer recess in late June or early July.
The Supreme Court previously declined to hear Apple’s earlier appeal in January 2024, so this latest petition now becomes Apple’s next major attempt to challenge the App Store ruling that already changed payment rules for developers across the U.S.
