Overview
- Apple enabled third‑party iOS app stores and alternative payments in Japan but still forbids direct web downloads and applies warning screens it says protect users.
- Tim Sweeney says Fortnite will not return to iOS in Japan in 2025, citing a 21% fee on third‑party in‑app payments, 15% on web purchases, and a new 5% levy on revenue from competing stores.
- Epic contends Apple will require a mandatory reporting API to monitor transactions inside rival app stores.
- Epic plans to file a complaint with the Japanese Fair Trade Commission challenging the fees, warnings, and reporting requirements.
- In related U.S. litigation, the Ninth Circuit remanded a contempt order, and Apple remains barred from collecting commissions on off‑store payments until a compliant fee is set.