Australia has ordered Apple to open the iPhone to third-party app stores. The court-ordered change takes effect on March 1st, 2027, according to The Verge. Apple must also let Fortnite back into the App Store and allow developers to offer alternative payment methods.
Apple told Reuters it plans to appeal the decision. The company has argued for years that tight control of iOS protects users from malware, fraud and scam apps. Regulators and courts in several countries have now rejected that argument, either through legislation or through settlements.
The ruling makes Australia the newest market to chip away at the App Store model Apple built in 2008. The European Union forced similar changes under the Digital Markets Act in 2024. Japan and Brazil have reached their own agreements with the company since then.
Brazil set the template last year
Brazil’s competition watchdog CADE approved a settlement that requires third-party stores and external payment links. Apple had 105 days to comply or face fines of up to R$150 million, roughly $27 million. The deal still lets Apple charge fees, including a 25 percent commission on standard in-app purchases.
Australia’s order follows the same logic. It keeps Apple’s right to earn money from the platform, but it removes the company’s right to decide who else can sell software on it. The difference matters for small studios that cannot afford a 15 to 30 percent cut of every sale.
What changes for developers
For developers, the Australian decision opens another route to reach iPhone users directly. Studios will be able to list apps in rival stores and point customers to payment pages outside Apple’s billing system. Both options were blocked on iOS until regulators intervened.
For Apple, the decision adds another market where the App Store is no longer the only door onto the device. The company already runs separate rulebooks for Europe, Japan, Brazil and the United States, which is expensive to maintain and hard to explain to users.
Epic Games has been fighting Apple over these rules since 2020. Fortnite was pulled from the App Store that year after Epic added a direct payment option. The game has been returning to Apple’s platform country by country ever since.
Apple’s appeal means the March deadline could still move. Developers planning launches around the new rules should treat the date as provisional until the case is resolved. The company has not said how long it expects the appeal to take.
Read more on how Apple tightened App Store rules for AI apps, and why iPhone Duo preorders slipped into 2027.
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