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Apple’s Crypto App Clampdown Crushed: You Won’t Believe Who’s Paying Fees Now

BBG News
  • U.S. court tells Apple: “Stop playing Monopoly, and let the crypto kids have their fun!” 🍏⚖️
  • Crypto and NFT app developers can finally offer external payment links, a.k.a. “the forbidden fruit without Apple’s 30% bite.” 🤑🍎

Hold onto your iPhones, because a U.S. district court just handed Apple a legal “bad apple” award. Crypto app developers can now show users a way to make payments that doesn’t involve blindly throwing cash into Apple’s in-app money pit. The whole legal slugfest started when Epic Games (the Fortnite folks who love a good boss fight) went toe-to-toe with Apple, leaving Tim Cook sweating into his mock-turtleneck after Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers called out Apple’s “willful violation” of a 2021 order. It’s like the People’s Court, but with more V-Bucks at stake.

Developers Celebrate: NFTs and Crypto Payments are Now Just One Click Away (No More Apple-Tax!)

Originally, Apple’s best move against fair competition was “don’t let the other kids play with our toys unless they pay us 30% of their snacks.” The latest court ruling says, “Actually, no, Steve Jobs didn’t invent transaction fees.” Apple can no longer charge developers a fee for payments that happen outside the app, and—get this—they can’t eavesdrop on your Wild West crypto adventures either. Finally, your crypto wallet can be free-range, not just cage-free.

Developers are practically breakdancing in the streets (or wherever developers go to celebrate—probably Discord). For the first time, they get to toss “Learn More” links into their apps for NFT stuff, crypto payments, speculative DeFi shenanigans—no secret handshakes, no more App Store tax, just pure blockchainy fun. It only took a tech giant, a plucky game company, and the Great NFT Fidget Spinner Craze of the 2020s to get here.

After the ink dried, Apple did some mysterious App Store rulebook edits that analysts called “deeply passive-aggressive,” which is really the main mode for Big Tech at this point. Still, the update actually gives devs real freedom. Appfigures CEO Ariel Michaeli points out Apple wasn’t exactly jazzed about it, but hey, it’s legally binding. Kind of like those “guess the number of Skittles in the jar” contests, but with fewer Skittles and more lawyers.

Crypto Fans Rejoice: Web3 Mobile Apps Get the Green Light!

The crypto crowd basically declared this ruling their own personal crypto Christmas. Twitter was flooded: “Hodlers” cheered, NFT creators dusted off their apes, and Web3 analysts dubbed it “the most bullish thing to happen to mobile apps since Flappy Bird.” Crypto entrepreneur Alex Masmej called it “absolutely huge for crypto,” while Xero gushed about the GameFi gold rush ahead. If you thought Apple’s control freak tendencies triggered developers before, just wait until Tim Cook sees people buying pixelated whales without his cut. 🐳💸

Meanwhile, the team at Epic Games—living up to their name—did a (completely justified) Fortnite Victory Dance. CEO Tim Sweeney declared that Fortnite would be coming back to U.S. iPhones, and dangled the possibility of a global truce if Apple would behave everywhere (not just in America). Just picture millions of 13-year-olds rejoicing and Apple accountants quietly hyperventilating. “Friction-free, Apple-tax-free,” Sweeney crowed, hoping someday App Stores everywhere will go commission-free, making lawyers everywhere cry tears of joy.

With this ruling, crypto apps are speeding into the future. Payment walls? Blasted. NFT shopping sprees? Open for business. Web3, DeFi, play-to-earn gaming? Roll out the digital welcome mat. The verdict may even set legal standards for fair digital competition, user rights, and, most importantly, bragging rights at developer conferences. The next blockchain gold rush may just start on your iPhone—no 30% tollbooth to pay at the bridge.

Congratulations, iOS users: you now live in a world where you—and your crypto wallets—can truly be free (except for gas fees, hackers, and the IRS, but, you know, baby steps).

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2025-05-05 06:23

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