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The disagreement centered on an “Install” button and an “In-app purchases” label. But the larger argument was about who controls alternative app marketplaces on iOS under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
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What Apple approved
The approval concerned the Epic Games Store marketplace app for iOS in the EU—not a worldwide change to Apple’s App Store rules. The DMA requires Apple, as a designated gatekeeper, to allow third-party app marketplaces in the bloc, creating a route for Epic to distribute its own store outside Apple’s traditional App Store model.
Epic had planned to use that opening to bring both the Epic Games Store and Fortnite back to iPhones in Europe. Apple said Epic’s Fortnite app had also been approved in connection with the rollout. That did not mean Fortnite had returned to iPhones globally.
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- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
TechCrunch reported that Apple rejected Epic’s marketplace submission twice before approving it on July 5, 2024. The approval therefore represented a meaningful opening for Epic, but not an unconditional end to Apple’s review of the store.
TechCrunch reported the rejection and approval sequence, while Epic publicly said it had raised its concerns with European regulators.
The disputed buttons and labels
Apple’s objections reportedly involved the design and placement of Epic’s “Install” button and the similarity between Epic’s “In-app purchases” wording and Apple’s “In-App Purchases” label.
Apple’s position was that Epic’s marketplace looked too similar to the App Store and could confuse users. TechCrunch reported that Apple cited its developer agreement, including Section 2.3(G), which requires marketplace operators not to make their products appear confusingly similar to Apple’s App Store.
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- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
Epic took the opposite view. It argued that “Install” and similar marketplace terminology were ordinary, familiar conventions rather than Apple-exclusive design elements. From Epic’s perspective, requiring a less familiar button could make its store harder to understand and use.
That is why describing the dispute as merely a fight over “a button” misses the important issue. The question was whether Apple could apply detailed interface rules to an alternative marketplace even after the DMA required Apple to permit that marketplace in the first place.
Why Tim Sweeney called Apple’s position “absurd”
After Apple approved the current submission, Sweeney said Apple was still demanding changes to a future version. In a post reported by TechCrunch, Epic’s founder and CEO described the situation as having “taken a turn towards the absurd” and said, “We’ll fight this.”
Sweeney’s complaint was that Apple had effectively allowed the store to proceed while warning that its interface would have to change later. He argued that the requested changes would make Epic’s marketplace less standard and potentially less usable for customers.
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- An Epic Games account is required to redeem an Epic Games Store Card code
- If playing on a console platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch or Mobile) you need to link your Epic Games account to that gaming platform (one time) to redeem your gift card code
- The 16 digit code on the back of the card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly through your gaming platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, etc.)
- Note: Nintendo devices do not support Fortnite Shared Wallet, so V-Bucks purchased using your account balance will not show up on your Nintendo device. However, if you purchase items in the web Item Shop — or another platform where you play Fortnite — those items will be available in your Locker across all platforms.
- Redemption: Online
Sweeney described the approval as “temporary,” but that wording should be treated as his account of what Apple had told reporters—not necessarily as an official Apple legal category. Apple’s reported position was more specific: the current app had been approved, while corrections would still be required in a subsequent update.
Those descriptions are compatible in practical terms, but they carry different implications. Apple appeared to treat the issue as a correctable compliance problem, whereas Epic viewed the continuing requirement as evidence that Apple was obstructing a marketplace the DMA was intended to make possible.
Apple’s argument versus Epic’s argument
| Apple’s position | Epic’s position |
|---|---|
| The marketplace’s button design and wording were too similar to the App Store. | “Install” and similar labels are standard marketplace conventions. |
| Apple’s developer rules prohibit confusing similarity. | Apple was applying those rules arbitrarily and obstructively. |
| The current submission could be approved while later corrections remained necessary. | Requiring future changes undermined the purpose of opening iOS to competing marketplaces. |
Epic also said Apple’s conduct could violate the DMA and reported the issue to the European Commission. That was an allegation by Epic, not an established finding that Apple had violated European law.
Why the DMA changed the fight
Before the DMA’s app-marketplace rules, Apple controlled the primary route for distributing apps to iPhone users. The EU’s framework created a legal pathway for alternative marketplaces such as Epic’s store.
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- An Epic Games account is required to redeem an Epic Games Store Card code
- If playing on a console platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch or Mobile) you need to link your Epic Games account to that gaming platform (one time) to redeem your gift card code
- The 16 digit code on the back of the card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly through your gaming platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, etc.)
- Note: Nintendo devices do not support Fortnite Shared Wallet, so V-Bucks purchased using your account balance will not show up on your Nintendo device. However, if you purchase items in the web Item Shop — or another platform where you play Fortnite — those items will be available in your Locker across all platforms.
- Redemption: Online
That did not remove every Apple requirement or eliminate every fee. Apple’s alternative commercial terms were complicated and still included charges connected to Apple’s technology. Nor did the DMA give Epic a right to operate an alternative iOS store in the United States or elsewhere.
The July 2024 dispute tested the practical limits of the new system. If Apple could approve an alternative marketplace but continue demanding changes to familiar interface elements, Epic argued, Apple might retain much of the control the DMA was intended to reduce. Apple, meanwhile, could argue that opening distribution did not prevent it from enforcing rules designed to avoid user confusion and protect the distinction between its own App Store and competing marketplaces.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How this fits the Epic–Apple conflict
The argument was the latest episode in a much longer dispute over App Store control, payment systems and commissions.
In 2020, Epic enabled Fortnite players to make payments directly through Epic rather than Apple’s in-app purchase system. Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store, and Epic sued. The U.S. litigation rejected most of Epic’s claims and did not find Apple to be a monopolist, although it produced a ruling concerning developers’ ability to direct users toward alternative payment options.
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- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
The EU marketplace route was therefore strategically distinct from Epic’s U.S. case. Epic had not won a general right to bypass Apple worldwide, but the DMA created a separate regulatory framework in Europe that directly addressed third-party distribution.
For Epic, the marketplace was also a way to regain control over its relationship with iPhone users. For Apple, the review dispute showed that permitting an alternative store did not necessarily mean surrendering all control over how that store operated on iOS.
What the July 2024 news did—and did not—establish
- Apple approved Epic’s marketplace app after rejecting it twice.
- The immediate dispute involved interface design and terminology, especially the “Install” button and “In-app purchases” label.
- The approval applied to the EU under the DMA, not to iOS worldwide.
- Fortnite’s relevant approval and planned distribution were EU-specific; this was not a global return to the iPhone.
- Epic accused Apple of obstructive and potentially unlawful conduct, but the available reporting did not establish an EU finding that Apple had violated the DMA.
- Sweeney’s promise to fight was not proof of a later legal victory or even of a new lawsuit.
The available reporting also did not establish whether Epic ultimately changed the buttons, whether Apple rejected a later update, or how European regulators resolved this specific complaint.
The bottom line of the dispute
Apple’s approval was a tactical success for Epic: it cleared the way for an Epic Games Store on iOS in the EU and supported the planned return of Fortnite there. But the continuing disagreement over the store’s interface showed why the DMA did not instantly make alternative marketplaces independent of Apple.
The fight was not simply about whether one button should say “Install.” It was about whether Apple could continue to exercise detailed control over a competing marketplace after European law required Apple to allow that marketplace to exist.
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