Apple Says 'We Won't Make an Exception' for Epic Games in App Store Dispute

The battle royale continues between Epic Games and Apple.

In a statement shared with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple said that "we won't make an exception for Epic because we don't think it's right to put their business interests ahead of the guidelines that protect our customers."

fortnite iphone
Apple said that "the problem Epic has created for itself is one that can be easily remedied" if Epic submits a version of the Fortnite app that does not offer a direct payment option for its in-game currency V-Bucks. Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store last week for offering players an alternative to its in-app purchase mechanism.

Apple's full statement:

The App Store is designed to be a safe and trusted place for users and a great business opportunity for all developers. Epic has been one of the most successful developers on the App Store, growing into a multibillion dollar business that reaches millions of iOS customers around the world. We very much want to keep the company as part of the Apple Developer Program and their apps on the Store. The problem Epic has created for itself is one that can easily be remedied if they submit an update of their app that reverts it to comply with the guidelines they agreed to and which apply to all developers. We won't make an exception for Epic because we don't think it's right to put their business interests ahead of the guidelines that protect our customers.

Read our Epic Games vs. Apple guide for an up-to-date timeline of the events surrounding Fortnite's removal from the App Store.

Popular Stories

m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Early Black Friday iPhone Deals

Monday November 10, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...

Top Rated Comments

fumi2014 Avatar
68 months ago
For all the endless clickbait articles on this on the net, it really boils down to one thing.

Apple: "We're not making enough money."

Epic: "We're not making enough money."

Don't get caught up in all the phony talk of ethics, fairness, anti-competitive practices. It's just a case of two extremely wealthy tech companies whining about not making enough money.

In other news: Millions of Americans without jobs. Pandemic raging.
Score: 74 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattopotamus Avatar
68 months ago
I understand where both sides are coming from, but Epic is going to lose this. They don't have leg to stand on in the court of law. They knowingly violated the terms of their contract to prove a point?
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
amarcus Avatar
68 months ago

Apple has turned hostile towards developers and as a result, hostile towards consumers. I want choice. I want freedom.
Really? Apple's 30% cut has been constant since the App Store launched over ten years ago *and* they seem to be loosing their grip (iOS now allows default mail/browsers, widgets, multi-tasking etc.).

From my perspective, Epic are the ones playing dirty turning this into a publicity stunt and throwing a tantrum because they want to pay less. If this was just about freedom and offering prohibited apps (e.g. xCloud) then they wouldn't also be suing Google where this isn't an issue.

TL;DR Epic are a billion dollar company and are fighting to line their pockets and not for "freedom" or for us.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EvilEvil Avatar
68 months ago
Apple should decrease their app revenue cut from 30% to 15% to show how much they care about their developers.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
68 months ago
Apples hypocrisy is the most annoying part about the whole company. I still like their products itself but their whole marketing BS about "WE CARE ABOUT YOU AND NOT THE MONEY" is just off putting.

we don't think it's right to put their business interests ahead of the guidelines that protect our customers.

sit down Apple. Lets see ... 5 GB base storage that does not even fit a back up in most cases and leads to corrupt back ups is totally to protect the customer! Same with offering 64 GB as the base model (totally not done for upselling purposes) or the iCloud storage jump from 200 GB to 2 TB or everything being glued together in the MacBook. So environmental!

If anything, Apple is protecting their business interests since services make up a HUGE part of their sales now
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
auvxza Avatar
68 months ago
Apple is anti consumer. They allow anticompetitive practices by letting Amazon to use their own payment processing but do not allow Epic to do so. This just means that customers have to pay higher prices for apps and developers have less resources to create better experiences.

Apple is anti developer. Disabling Epics access to Apple Dev Kit will hurt all developers making games and other apps on Apple products. The majority of top triple A games on the App Store use Unreal Engine. I am a game developer and personally use Unreal Engine on my Mac (maybe only for another 10 days if Apple succeeds in banning Epic).

Another anti competitive practice Apple does is not allowing cloud streaming games with xCloud / Stadia but lets Netflix stream movies. Apple is stifling innovation in order to squeeze as much money from customers as possible.

This is not the Apple that I fell in love with. Epic is right, Apple has become rotten.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)