A federal appeals court announced today that it has granted Apple's request to postpone changes to the App Store, which would require the tech giant to allow developers on its storefront to include links to external payment options.
"Apple has demonstrated, at minimum, that its appeal raises serious questions," three judges from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote in a stay issued today. The document notes that Apple may wait to implement any changes to its App Store until the appeals process regarding its ongoing legal dispute with Fornite creator Epic Games had concluded. Meaning Apple will not be forced to implement this change for the next few years.
"Our concern is that these changes would have created new privacy and security risks and disrupted the user experience customers love about the App Store," a spokesperson for Apple told The New York Times today.
In May, the Epic Games vs. Apple case was argued, though a ruling was announced in September. The judge ruled that Apple was not considered a monopoly nor engaged in anti-trust behavior. A few days after the ruling, Epic Games announced it was appealing the ruling.
While this is a victory for Apple today, down the road the company may have to comply with adding alternative payments to its App Store, though depending on the outcome of the lawsuit's appeal, Apple may just be delaying the inevitable.
Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster
