Apple vs Epic ruling opens door for crypto payments and NFT features in iOS apps
By: bitcoin ethereum news|2025/05/02 21:00:04
0
Share
The legal war between Apple and Epic Games just ripped a massive hole in how apps are allowed to function on iOS. A federal court in California ruled that Apple violated a 2021 injunction and was blocking fair competition. This ruling now forces Apple to let developers accept crypto payments and use NFT features inside iOS apps without going through Apple’s in-app system or paying its 30% fee. As of right now, Fortnite is coming back to the U.S. iOS App Store, and app developers finally have more control over their own money. According to Variety, the ruling didn’t just end Apple’s monopoly on app payments. It opens a clear path for mobile crypto wallets to plug directly into iOS apps. That means apps can now take USDC, ETH, SOL, and other crypto assets straight from users—no middlemen, no extra fees, no Apple tax. The ruling also allows apps to include NFT marketplace functions directly in the app itself. No more sending users to a mobile browser to complete a sale. NFT apps can now handle the full transaction inside the app. Court says Apple lied and blocks all new anti-competitive moves The decision came from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who said Apple broke the court’s earlier order on purpose. In her words, “Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated.” She said Apple was not following the law and instead kept building new ways to block developers from using off-app payments. She made it clear the injunction is active now, and Apple is banned from putting new commissions or limits on developers who use their own payment rails. Apple had removed Epic Games’ developer account back in August 2020, right after the original lawsuit. Fortnite was pulled from the App Store, and other Epic titles disappeared. That account was only reinstated in Europe last year. Now, it’s coming back to the United States. The court ruled that Apple tried to get around the previous order by pretending to comply while actually continuing to choke off competition. Judge Rogers specifically called out Alex Roman, Apple’s VP of Finance, for lying under oath. She said Apple’s internal documents showed they knew exactly what they were doing. “In stark contrast to Apple’s initial in-court testimony, contemporaneous business documents reveal that Apple knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option,” she said. Sweeney says it’s a win for devs and opens NFT utilities inside apps Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said the ruling is exactly what developers have been pushing for. “It’s a huge victory for developers,” Tim said during a press call. “This means all developers can offer both Apple’s payment service side by side with their own payment service. Apple cannot charge fees on the developers’ own payment services, and developers are free to pass along savings to customers by through differentiated pricing.” Tim explained that the decision now forces Apple to actually compete in the market like everyone else. “What this does is it forces Apple to compete with other payment services, rather than blocking them,” he said. “This is what we wanted all along. We’ve always acknowledged Apple’s right to operate their own store; their right to operate their own payment service. We’ve just always wanted a level playing field in which developers can compete with Apple to offer their own products, and then consumers are free to choose the best, and let the best product win.” Beyond payments, the ruling changes how NFTs can be used in iOS apps. Previously, apps weren’t allowed to use NFTs to unlock special features. That tactic was considered a way to dodge Apple’s fees, so the company banned it. Now, with the new court decision, it seems that the restriction is also dead. Developers can use NFTs to give users access to gated content or features without worrying about Apple’s approval. One thing the ruling didn’t fix is the crypto fiat on-ramp problem. People who don’t already own crypto will still need to go through the same old KYC process to buy it. Apple can’t block crypto payments anymore, but that doesn’t mean users can skip identity checks when converting dollars into crypto. That part is still handled outside the App Store, and it’s not going away. Cryptopolitan Academy: Want to grow your money in 2025? Learn how to do it with DeFi in our upcoming webclass. Save Your Spot Source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/apple-epic-ruling-crypto-payments-nft-ios/
You may also like
Raising interest rates to protect STRC and selling coins to maintain credit, this time the strategy has chosen the two most expensive paths
The rebound in BTC prices can make all problems simple.
Morning Report | Samsung announces a 265.5 trillion won investment plan, focusing on semiconductor and AI computing power data centers; Vitalik publishes an article detailing the entire technology tree behind the confusion protocol (iO) mainline
Overview of Important Market Events on June 29
In the era of AI, what is left of Bitcoin?
AI can generate a fake image, create a fake video, and even forge a person's voice. But it cannot make the entire Bitcoin network acknowledge a non-existent transaction out of thin air.
NeoSoul announced plans to integrate with the OKX Agentic Wallet, promoting AI agents' participation in the on-chain economy
After the integration is complete, the AI entity will be able to manage on-chain assets, pay service fees, and perform related on-chain operations.
Why Is Bitcoin Lagging Stocks in 2026? AI Stocks, ETF Outflows, and the Nasdaq Rally Explained
Stocks are hitting record highs while Bitcoin continues to lag. Discover why AI stocks are attracting institutional capital and what it means for crypto traders.
What you bought on CEX is really not US stocks: Analyzing the 94% liquidation monopoly and the evaporation of equity under a five-layer pipeline
Peeling back its smooth trading interface to examine the underlying legal relationships and settlement processes, you will find that this is far from a simple "RWA asset revolution," but rather a complex game of interests involving spot pricing, rights ownership, and the monopoly of underlying custo...
In such a crowded cross-border payment arena, where is the next stop for the future?
Only by stepping into the mud can one have the chance to touch gold.
Why Is Bitcoin Down in 2026? What We Can Learn From 2022
Why is Bitcoin down in 2026? Bitcoin has just recorded its worst first half since 2022, with back-to-back quarterly losses, record ETF outflows, and extreme fear. Here's what history says, how 2026 differs from the last bear market, and the three signals traders should wat
The large models in the United States are moving towards closure in the name of security
The government successfully inserted itself as an approver between commercial AI models and their users for the first time.
From the white-haired stock god to the billionaire fund mogul, the smart people shorting Nvidia are all getting rich using the same framework
Give up on heavily investing in Nvidia's "nine major bottlenecks"! This article analyzes the underlying logic behind top AI investors making billions: physical infrastructure such as electricity, HBM, and optical interconnects are the true keys to wealth in AI hardware.
Morning Report | CoinEx becomes a key hub for Iran to evade sanctions, involving over $3.8 billion in funds; Kalshi seeks a new round of financing, with a valuation potentially rising to $40 billion
Overview of Important Market Events on June 25
Global Launch: As predictions become the most scarce asset in the AI era, Manadia is defining the next generation of the value internet
The trusted AI prediction ecosystem Manadia, which has secured $7 million in funding from well-known institutions like OKX, will globally launch in June. The core token UMXM has already been listed on multiple mainstream platforms, inviting you to seize the new blue ocean of the trillion-level predi...
Why do cryptocurrency projects always like to change their names?
In many cases, the old names of encryption projects have no competitive advantage, only historical baggage.
Who is footing the bill for the $64 billion accounting frenzy?
Affected by Bitcoin falling below $60,000, publicly listed companies heavily invested in this asset are facing huge paper losses and valuation discounts, and their debt structure and accounting standards may trigger structural liquidity risks in the future.
I never expected that the first application of AI x Crypto would be in security auditing
AI has accelerated attack efficiency and also promoted the upgrade of defense systems. The security audit sector is undergoing a transition from a dividend model to a competitive model.
What is your view on Binance's competitive advantages?
When the dividends of rule arbitrage gradually approach zero, can we produce product strength, governance capability, and trust that are commensurate with its scale?
ETH has entered a non-consensus phase, and the turning point is approaching!
This has nothing to do with the Ethereum Foundation or Ethlabs; Ethereum needs to win by solving real problems.
The shift in the cloud of the air: from despising stablecoins a year ago to the high-profile entry of capital today
It can continue to question the cost-effectiveness of stablecoins in the G10 currency corridor, but it cannot ignore the structural opportunities of stablecoins in emerging markets, corporate finance, and on-chain settlements.
Raising interest rates to protect STRC and selling coins to maintain credit, this time the strategy has chosen the two most expensive paths
The rebound in BTC prices can make all problems simple.
Morning Report | Samsung announces a 265.5 trillion won investment plan, focusing on semiconductor and AI computing power data centers; Vitalik publishes an article detailing the entire technology tree behind the confusion protocol (iO) mainline
Overview of Important Market Events on June 29
In the era of AI, what is left of Bitcoin?
AI can generate a fake image, create a fake video, and even forge a person's voice. But it cannot make the entire Bitcoin network acknowledge a non-existent transaction out of thin air.
NeoSoul announced plans to integrate with the OKX Agentic Wallet, promoting AI agents' participation in the on-chain economy
After the integration is complete, the AI entity will be able to manage on-chain assets, pay service fees, and perform related on-chain operations.
Why Is Bitcoin Lagging Stocks in 2026? AI Stocks, ETF Outflows, and the Nasdaq Rally Explained
Stocks are hitting record highs while Bitcoin continues to lag. Discover why AI stocks are attracting institutional capital and what it means for crypto traders.
What you bought on CEX is really not US stocks: Analyzing the 94% liquidation monopoly and the evaporation of equity under a five-layer pipeline
Peeling back its smooth trading interface to examine the underlying legal relationships and settlement processes, you will find that this is far from a simple "RWA asset revolution," but rather a complex game of interests involving spot pricing, rights ownership, and the monopoly of underlying custo...
Customer Support:@weikecs
Business Cooperation:@weikecs
Quant Trading & MM:bd@weex.com
VIP Program:support@weex.com





