Apple refused to act on Epic’s Fortnite submission on May 16, 2025, delaying the game’s planned return to the U.S. App Store and its release through the Epic Games Store for iOS in the EU. Fortnite returned to the U.S. App Store on May 20, 2025, and Epic later said it was back on the App Store worldwide, with Australia an exception in that announcement. The May dispute was about whether Apple could hold up a submission amid an injunction against anti-steering restrictions—not an order requiring Apple to approve every version of Fortnite.
What Apple blocked in May 2025
Apple did not remove a live U.S. App Store copy of Fortnite on May 16. The game had been absent from Apple’s U.S. storefront since August 2020. Instead, Apple declined to process or act on Epic’s pending submission, which affected two distinct routes: Fortnite’s return to the U.S. App Store and its distribution through the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. VentureBeat’s May 16 report described Apple’s position as waiting for the Ninth Circuit to rule on a partial stay.
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That meant the pending version could not reach users through those channels while the submission was on hold. It did not establish that Apple had remotely deleted every existing EU installation. Epic said Fortnite on iOS would be offline worldwide until Apple unblocked the submission, but that was Epic’s description of the effect of its release process, not proof that every installed copy had been removed. Contemporary reporting likewise distinguished a blocked submission from a global removal.
Why Fortnite had been missing from iPhones
In August 2020, Epic added a payment option intended to bypass Apple’s in-app payment system. Apple removed Fortnite for violating App Store rules, and Epic sued, alleging Apple’s distribution and payment practices were anticompetitive. The Associated Press reported on the removal.
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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’s court result was mixed, not a blanket victory over Apple’s App Store. The 2021 case largely rejected Epic’s antitrust claims, while an injunction restricted Apple from preventing developers from informing users about alternative ways to pay, including directing them outside an app. The district court’s injunction is the relevant order for understanding the 2025 dispute.
What the injunction and April 2025 ruling meant
The injunction concerned anti-steering: Apple could not bar developers from communicating with users about alternative purchasing methods. On April 30, 2025, the district court found Apple had willfully violated that injunction and ordered it to stop obstructing external-payment steering. Apple said it disagreed, would comply, and would appeal. VentureBeat’s account of the ruling describes the finding and the scope of the dispute.
Rank #2
- 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
That ruling did not automatically require Apple to approve every Fortnite submission, erase all contractual disputes, or declare the App Store illegal. The May question was narrower: could Apple use App Review, its developer-contract position, or the appeal process to delay Epic’s submission in a way that interfered with conduct protected by the injunction? A contempt finding about earlier anti-steering conduct did not by itself decide that every later Apple action was contemptuous.
Epic’s account and Apple’s defense
What Epic said happened
In its motion and public statements, Epic said it notified Apple on May 1 that it intended to use the same developer account associated with its EU distribution to submit Fortnite for U.S. App Review. Epic said Apple’s counsel told it on May 2 to proceed through the outlined process, then remained silent for about a week before saying Apple would not act until the Ninth Circuit ruled on a partial stay. Epic characterized the delay as a functional rejection and asked the court to enforce the injunction. These details are Epic’s account, as reported by VentureBeat, not findings that should be treated as undisputed.
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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
What Apple argued
Apple’s position, as quoted in the same report, was that Epic’s developer agreement had been terminated after Epic breached Apple’s terms, and that the injunction did not eliminate Apple’s contractual rights or its ability to reject apps for lawful reasons. That was Apple’s defense, not a final judicial determination resolving the submission dispute.
Why the EU distribution route was separate
The EU’s Digital Markets Act framework opened a route for alternative iOS app marketplaces, which Epic used to distribute the Epic Games Store. Apple identifies iOS, the App Store, Safari, and iPadOS among services covered by its DMA compliance information. Apple’s DMA page outlines its approach.
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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 DMA did not guarantee automatic approval of every game or remove Apple’s security and notarization processes. The contested issue was whether Apple applied those processes neutrally or used them to frustrate a competing distribution channel. Epic had also alleged in 2024 that Apple’s termination of its developer account threatened the planned EU store launch; Apple later restored the account. Epic’s account of that episode is the company’s own statement.
The U.S. injunction and EU marketplace rules were not interchangeable. The U.S. case addressed Apple’s conduct under U.S. law; EU alternative distribution arose under a separate regulatory framework. Neither meant that a U.S. iPhone user could install Fortnite through the EU store rules, nor that EU users were exempt from Apple’s applicable authorization, notarization, device, and marketplace requirements.
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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
How the submission dispute ended—and what changed later
On May 20, 2025, Fortnite returned to the U.S. App Store and became available through the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the EU. VentureBeat reported the return. Epic said the district court’s pressure, including the prospect that an Apple executive responsible for App Store decisions might have to appear in court, helped bring about the change; that account was reported by MacRumors.
In a later announcement, Epic said Fortnite was back on the App Store worldwide, while treating Australia as an exception to that rollout. That is Epic’s description of availability, not a guarantee of current country-by-country status. See Epic’s announcement for its stated scope.
What remains at stake for developers
The immediate return of Fortnite did not settle the broader questions about Apple’s review authority, external payments, alternative marketplaces, or developer agreements. The dispute illustrates the difference between the right to tell users about another way to pay and a right to have an app accepted: the injunction addressed the former, while Apple continued to assert independent review and contract rights.
As of the latest court material reflected in the Supreme Court docket through June 2026, the broader Apple–Epic litigation remained active. Apple filed a petition in Apple Inc. v. Epic Games, Inc., No. 25-1311, after a Ninth Circuit decision dated December 11, 2025; briefing continued in June 2026. The docket does not establish a final Supreme Court merits ruling. The official docket records the proceedings.
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