Australisches Gericht zwingt Apple, iOS zu öffnen – Fortnite ist zurück

Australia's Federal Court has ordered Apple to let iPhone users in the country install apps from rival app stores and direct downloads, and to allow alternative payment methods, in a remedies judgment handed down by Justice Jonathan Beach on October 22, 2026. The orders take effect on March 1, 2027. One part applies immediately: Apple must readmit Epic's apps, and Fortnite returned to the Australian App Store on October 23, ending a six-year absence, ABC News reports.

The 235-page judgment follows the court's August 2025 liability ruling, which found that Apple misused its market power in iOS app distribution and in-app payments in breach of section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, according to MacDailyNews. ABC notes that Google was also found to have misused its market power in that 2025 decision; the orders covered here are Apple's.

What the court ordered

• Other ways to get apps. Users with an Australian Apple Account must be able to find, download, install and update apps, including alternative app stores, through channels other than the App Store, direct downloads from websites included.
• Other ways to pay. Apple cannot require developers to use its own in-app purchase system exclusively for digital content, and must allow developers to point users to external payment options.
• Limits on fees. The orders restrict fees and commercial conditions that could undermine competition. Epic's newsroom says Apple will be barred from charging fees on purchases made in third-party app stores; FoneArena notes that specific claim comes from Epic's announcement rather than the text of the orders.
• Safety checks remain. Apps distributed outside the App Store must pass an automated scan and be notarized by Apple or a qualified third party, and Apple does not have to carry competing stores inside its own App Store.
• No automatic expiry. The court rejected Apple's proposal for the injunctions to lapse after five years; either side can ask to vary or discharge them if circumstances change.
• Costs. Apple must pay 85% of Epic's legal costs from the liability trial. Costs for the remedies hearing are still to be decided.

The timeline

The changes take effect at noon Melbourne time on March 1, 2027. Apple can apply between February 1 and 15, 2027 for an extension of about two months, to May 3, 2027, if it supports the request with evidence. The orders apply only to accounts whose Apple Account region is Australia, but developers anywhere in the Apple Developer Program can use the new channels to reach those users. They do not give Epic the worldwide changes it originally asked for.

What happens to Fortnite now

The judgment requires Apple to readmit Fortnite and other eligible Epic apps to the Australian App Store after a written application from Epic, without waiting for the 2027 start date. Epic said on X that Fortnite would be back the next day, and ABC confirmed it was available on Friday, October 23. Tim Sweeney called the remedies "a huge victory for consumers and developers" and said the Epic Games Store would follow "soon", without giving a date.

What it means for creators

For anyone building in UEFN, the immediate effect is reach: players in Australia can install Fortnite on iPhone from the App Store again, so islands are one download away for an audience that has had no App Store version since 2020. The bigger shifts, such as an Epic Games Store on iOS and payment options outside Apple's system, depend on the March 2027 start date and on how Apple's planned appeal and stay request play out.