The injunction requiring Apple to let App Store developers link out to outside payment options is in force right now. It has been since the Supreme Court declined to pause it in August 2026, and it stays in force while Apple’s separate appeal to the Supreme Court proceeds on a different, narrower question.
The injunction traces back to the Ninth Circuit’s ruling in the underlying Epic Games v. Apple dispute, applied through the contempt proceedings that Apple is now appealing. Two parts of that ruling took effect and remain in effect today, and one part of it is still being worked out in a lower court. None of this is connected to Apple’s September product announcements, which addressed hardware and software, not App Store policy.
What the Ninth Circuit affirmed
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court on two specific mechanisms: message screens, which let developers show users information about purchase options outside the app, and dynamic links, which let developers link directly to an external website where a purchase can be completed. The appeals court held that Apple’s attempt at a total ban on commissions and on link restrictions was overbroad. That combination is what allows the message-screen and link-out mechanisms to operate today.
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| Key facts | Detail |
|---|---|
| What is in force now | Message screens and dynamic links to outside payment options |
| What was held overbroad | Apple’s total bans on commissions and on link restrictions |
| Stay application | 26A194, to Justice Kagan, administratively stayed, then denied in August 2026 |
| What is still undecided | What commission, if any, Apple may charge on linked-out purchases |
| Who decides the commission question | The district court, on remand from the Ninth Circuit |
Why a Supreme Court appeal did not pause any of this
Apple applied to stay the mandate before the injunction took full effect. That application, docketed as 25A1213 at the Ninth Circuit stage and again as 26A194 before the Supreme Court, was administratively stayed through August 13, 2026, then denied. A denied stay means no pause: the injunction operates on its ordinary schedule regardless of where the appeal on Question 1 stands.
The one piece still unresolved: commission on linked-out sales
The Ninth Circuit ordered a remand proceeding for the district court to decide what commission, if any, Apple may charge on purchases made after a user follows a link out of an app. The appeals court explicitly did not suggest a rate. That question is on a separate, ongoing track in the district court, distinct from the Supreme Court appeal and distinct from the message-screen and dynamic-link mechanisms already operating.
| Mechanism | Status today |
|---|---|
| Message screens about outside purchase options | Allowed, per the Ninth Circuit’s affirmed ruling |
| Dynamic links to an external purchase page | Allowed, per the same ruling |
| Total ban on commissions or link restrictions | Held overbroad, no longer in force |
| Commission rate on linked-out purchases | Undecided, on remand at the district court |
What this means for developers building for Apple’s platforms
For a developer shipping an app for the iPhone 18 Pro or Apple’s newest foldable, the iPhone Duo, the message-screen and dynamic-link mechanisms are usable now, independent of how the Supreme Court eventually rules on Question 1. What is not settled is the economic question underneath it: whether Apple will be permitted to charge a commission on those linked-out sales, and if so, how much. That question sits with the district court, not with the Supreme Court, and no docket anywhere sets a date for resolving it. The appeal now heading to oral argument, with Apple’s brief due the Monday iOS 27 ships, addresses the contempt standard used to enforce the injunction, not whether the injunction’s underlying mechanisms are correct.
What Apple has not said
- Any commission rate it would propose for linked-out purchases on remand.
- Whether it has updated its developer guidelines to reflect the message-screen and dynamic-link mechanisms since the stay was denied.
- A timeline for the district court’s remand decision.
Today is Saturday, September 12, 2026. The injunction is already operating, the Supreme Court appeal on Question 1 does not pause it, and the commission question on remand has no decision date on any public docket to check yet.
