Australia's Federal Court has ordered Apple to let iPhone users in the country install apps from competing app stores and websites, and to allow developers to steer customers to alternative payment options. The orders, cited as [2026] FCA 1552 and reported by MacRumors, follow the court's August 2025 finding that Apple misused its market power by restricting how apps are distributed and paid for on the iPhone.
What the court requires
The orders apply to users whose Apple Account region is Australia, while Apple Developer Program members worldwide can take part. Users must be able to find, download, install and update apps through rival marketplaces and websites, and Apple may not charge for that access or obstruct it. Developers are to receive the necessary tools on "substantially the same terms" as for App Store distribution, and Apple cannot penalise them for using competing stores or payment services.
On payments, developers can offer alternative payment methods and link to other ways to pay, including inside apps distributed through the App Store. Apple cannot require its own payment system to be offered alongside them, nor require developers to report or submit those transactions to audits. For App Store apps, fees are capped at the equivalent charge for physical goods or services, plus genuine, reasonable additional costs for digital purchases. The report does not give a percentage.
Security and removals
Apps distributed outside the App Store must pass an automated security or privacy scan and be notarised by Apple or a qualified third party. Apple cannot impose disproportionate installation barriers, and any extra payment-related security requirements must be necessary and proportionate, with advance explanation to developers. Apple can remove or disable externally installed apps only in specified cases involving harmful content, genuine security risks or legal requirements. It also cannot ban third-party apps or alternative stores from being preinstalled on iPhones, though it is not obliged to distribute rival stores through the App Store.
Timing and Apple's response
The changes take effect at noon Melbourne time on March 1, 2027. Apple can apply between February 1 and February 15, 2027, with supporting evidence, for a court-approved extension until May 3.
Apple told Reuters it plans to appeal and will ask the court to pause enforcement, citing its intellectual property rights and App Store security.
Separately, Epic Games told Reuters that Fortnite is returning to Australia's App Store on October 22. Australia was the only country left out when the game came back to the App Store worldwide in May, as Epic held off while seeking further court orders on Apple's payment terms.
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