Update - 8:36 pm Eastern time - Epic Games has now posted word on its Newsroom X page that Apple has reversed its decision and will now allow its iOS European Union Epic Games Store notarization submission.
Update: Apple has informed us that our previously rejected Epic Games Store notarization submission has now been accepted. https://t.co/tl5LY1aQD6
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024
Reuters also reports that Apple stated it has now approved the launch of the iOS Epic Games Store in the EU.
Original story - Technically, Apple officially allows third-party app stores in the European Union to be hosted on its iOS devices so that its iPhones can comply with the EU"s Digital Markets Act. Epic Games then announced that a mobile version of its Epic Games Store would launch in the EU on iOS products later in 2024.
However, Apple has reportedly been trying to keep Epic Games from launching the store. Today, Epic Games said Apple has been rejecting its submissions for the Epic Games Store, even though they allegedly follow submissions from other companies:
In a multi-thread post on its X account, the Epic Games Newsroom stated:
Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarization submission twice now, claiming the design and position of Epic’s “Install” button is too similar to Apple"s "Get" button and that our "In-app purchases" label is too similar to the App Store"s "In-App Purchases" label.
Epic says that the naming conventions it submitted are used on other app stores on other platforms, and that its buttons are also the standard used on other iOS apps. It added:
We"re just trying to build a store that mobile users can easily understand, and the disclosure of in-app purchases is a regulatory best practice followed by all stores nowadays.
The message concluded with Epic saying that Apple"s rejections of its Epic Games Store labels were "arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA". Epic says it has informed the EU"s regulatory body, the European Commission, of these actions and that it still plans to launch the Epic games Store for iOS "in the next couple of months" if Apple does not put in any more roadblocks.
Earlier this year, Apple canceled Epic Games" developer account that previously allowed it to make an Epic Games Store app for iOS in the EU. The European Commission quickly asked Apple for more information on its decision. A day after that was revealed, Apple restored the developer account for Epic Games.