Malcolm Owen
Mere hours after reports circulated that Apple had declined to approve the Epic Games Store for iOS in the EU, the iPhone maker has changed course, allowing the app to proceed anyway.
Early on Friday, Epic Games complained that its submission of the Epic Games Store for iOS to Apple was rejected twice. The complaints were accompanied by claims Apple's rejection was "arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation" of the EU's Digital Markets Act.
Later the same day, Apple had a change of heart about the situation, and instead has approved the Epic Games Store.
Delayed correction request
In earlier reports, it was confirmed by Apple that Epic was mostly in compliance with EU-specific app review guidelines. The objectionable parts were a download button and related copy, which went against rules that forbid developers from making apps that can confuse consumers that elements in the apps were actually Apple-made items.
Epic had defended itself, insisting it used the same naming conventions employed across different platforms. Epic also said it followed standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps.
Apple has since told AppleInsider on Friday that it has approved Epic's marketplace app. It has also asked Epic to fix the buttons in a future submission of the app for review.
In effect, Apple is allowing the app to proceed with the questionable buttons since it's a relatively minor issue. Epic will still need to change them before it next submits the app for review.
Green light
Apple's acceptance that a small graphical issue isn't the end of the world certainly helps Epic get closer to launching its own iOS marketplace in the EU. However, it may not necessarily make a great difference to Epic's schedule.
It is unknown how much other work Epic has to complete to make the store available for use in the EU. Aside from the app being the main interface, it also has to construct a back-end to handle sales and downloads, among other essential functions.
At the time of the rejection complaint, Epic said it still planned to bring the store to iOS "in the next couple of months." Apple's approval will help reduce that time, but it is unclear how much by.
Epic has now confirmed that it was contacted by Apple, and that the submission was approved for notarization.
Update July 6 4:27 PM ET Following publication, an Epic spokesperson reached out to us.
"Apple has told some press channels that, though they have approved our current EGS iOS App for notarization, they are still demanding Epic change the user interface in a future version. Epic is disputing this."
When asked for clarification about the statement, the spokesperson identified the request to change the user interface as the point of dispute.
Should Epic not make the changes in a future update, it remains to be seen what Apple will do.
Oliver Haslam
Andrew O'Hara
Wesley Hilliard
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
20 Comments
Apple needs to put a safety disclaimer, with regards to downloading from outside of the App Store. Now it’s at the owners risk, as these have not been certified with an Apple Gold Check mark, which means they’ve been tested at Apple.
I’m looking into my crystal ball and I see Epic offering some short term lower prices for PR purposes. Then they’ll increase prices and claim it’s the result of increased costs and that they’re doing everything they can to improve the experience for Epic store users.
Though I'm not a Fortnite fan, this is definitely a win for consumers, it was always crazy to me that Apple can literally victimize their customer base for their own greed. Like it or not, my opinion and what appears to be the growing opinion is phones are the new computers, all purpose devices and should not be limited by the manufacturer. You should be able to download apps from anywhere you want.