Epic Games, Spotify, and more form a coalition to fight Apple's App Store policies

Epic Games' and Apple's feud over App Store policies on iOS has been in the spotlight recently, mostly owing to the fact that Apple takes 30% of all in-app purchase fees without offering any other means for app distribution on iOS. Now, the Fortnite developer is teaming up with a number of other developers to push Apple to make changes to its policies.

Epic Games is joined by companies such as Spotify, Deezer, Basecamp, ProtonMail, and even orgnaizations like the European Publishers Council, to form the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF). The coalition will serve as a platform for developers to make their concerns heard. Horacio Gutierrez, Head of Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer at Spotify, said:

“As enforcers, regulators, and legislators around the world investigate Apple for its anti-competitive behavior, The Coalition for App Fairness will be the voice of app and game developers in the effort to protect consumer choice and create a level playing field for all.”

In its announcement, the Coalition for App Fairness says it's essential that apps can compete on a level playing field, which means creators need to be able to do business directly with their customers, according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney. The coalition also notes that developers have been expressing concerns for a long time with no success. Back in 2018, a group of smaller developers joined forces with the intention of pushing for changes in App Store policy, but not much has been heard since.

Apple is currently being investigated in the European Union due to its App Store policies, and recently the Cupertino giant began allowing developers to appeal decisions related to these policies, and it also began encouraging developers to suggest changes. Another victim of App Store policies is game streaming, a problem Microsoft has been contending with after the launch of cloud streaming as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It remains to be seen how many more companies will join the coalition, and whether it can bring about any meaningful changes for developers and consumers.