OREANDA-NEWS. Apple has been ordered to allow app developers to direct consumers to alternative payment methods outside of Apple's in-app purchases system.

A few months after the trial, the court ruled in the case of Epic v. Apple in California. The judge ruled that Apple cannot prohibit developers from adding links for alternative payments, in addition to monetizing Apple in the App Store.

The mobile giant's control over fees on iOS has long been a stumbling block for Epic and a real cash cow of its gaming microtransactions.

The resolution, in particular, notes that "Apple Inc. and its officers, agents, employees, employees and any person actively cooperating with them or participating in them, hereby permanently restrict and prohibit developers from including in their applications and their metadata buttons, external links or other calls to action that direct customers to purchase mechanisms, in addition to in-app purchases and  communicating with customers through contact points obtained voluntarily from customers by registering an account in the application."

The decision may have long-term consequences for the developer community, as Apple will have to adjust its rules for hosting applications that point to other payment methods. For example, it may require apps to include Apple's own in-app payment option as an option. It can also decide that the qualification of "reading applications" as a separate category, it no longer makes sense, given this new requirement. But such decisions will be made in the coming days.