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The App Store Might Change Forever

The App Store Might Change Forever

the Epic result is in.

Brandon Butch
May 02, 2025 • 📖 Read time: 10 minutes

Welcome back! 🍎
Here’s the latest with Apple.

Apple vs Epic lawsuit results
Fresh iOS 19 details
& more!

📊 Poll

Last week, we asked: Do you want a redesign for iOS 19? Why or why not?

Here were my favorite replies:

Yes - “I think we are overdue on a redesign. The iOS 7 refresh is what brought me over from Android. Across time, that design has only seen minor changes. So now the current iOS design has started to remind me of software from over 10 years ago. It’s time for a refreshed look - it will make people feel like they’re using a whole new device without even upgrading.”

No - “I'm all for design changes that improve the user experience, but they need to be made slowly, maybe in an app or two at a time, and fully evaluated to make sure they don't negatively impact accessibility, or mean that sequences that people have learned, or have in muscle memory, don't work. By and large, the changes that have been bandied about on the Internet fall into the category of change for change's sake, and would have a very negative impact on usability. Especially anything suggesting elimination of cues that indicate the different platforms, or are "visionOS like". Implementing any of those would be a huge mistake.”

This week: Do you use Stage Manager on your iPad or Mac? Why or why not? More on this later.

Do you use Stage Manager?

🗞️ The Latest

👨🏻‍⚖️ Apple’s Epic Lawsuit

Apple has lost a major legal battle with Epic Games, and it could change how Apple handles app payments in the App Store.

On Wednesday, a judge ruled that Apple was in willful violation of a 2021 injunction meant to stop anticompetitive pricing tactics.

As part of the ruling, the judge says that Apple cannot:

Impose “any commission or any fee on purchases that consumers make outside an app”
Restrict developers’ style, formatting, or placement of links for purchases outside of an app
Block or limit the “use of buttons or other calls to action”
Interfere with consumers’ choice to leave an app with anything beyond “a neutral message apprising users that they are going to a third-party site”

For context: Apple takes a commission of up to 30% on in-app purchases. In 2021, a court ruled that Apple must allow developers to include links directing users to external payment options.

But in response, Apple implemented a new policy: developers could use external links - but only if they paid Apple a 27% commission.

That move sparked renewed criticism from Epic Games, which argued Apple was sidestepping the spirit of the court’s decision.

That’s what led to this week, where the judge agreed and ruled in favor of Epic Games.

Fortnite on iOS

As a result of this ruling, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says that Fortnite will be back on the US App Store next week.

Sweeney is also offering a “peace proposal” from Epic: “If Apple extends the court’s friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we’ll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic.”

In June, Epic will allow developers to launch their own webshops, enabling out-of-app purchases.

Apple responded to the ruling: "We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal."

These webshops can offer players out-of-app purchases, as a more cost-effective alternative to in-app purchases, where Apple, Google, and others charge exorbitant fees.

With new legal rulings in place, developers will be able to send players from games to make digital purchases from webshops on any platform that allows it, including iOS in the European Union and United States.

My take: This is a win for both consumers and developers. Developers keep more of what they earn, and consumers could end up paying less. Win-win.

Apple will almost certainly fight back, and don’t be surprised if they still find a way to apply some kind of fee to external payments. But it likely won’t be as aggressive as before.

As for Apple’s App Store business? I don’t see this making a huge dent. This change only applies to external payments. Most users still use the built-in in-app purchase flow, and I doubt that behavior will change anytime soon.

📲 Apple’s Software Overhaul

We are about one month away from WWDC (June 9th) and we have new details on what to expect from iOS and iPadOS 19. Here’s the latest.

iOS 19 is rumored to add Stage Manager support to USB-C iPhones.
iPadOS 19 is expected to get an overhaul that brings it closer to macOS, starting with Mac-style menu bars in apps and improved Stage Manager.
Other new features will be focused on productivity, multitasking, and app window management.
We’re also expecting iPadOS 19 to get the same design changes anticipated for iOS 19.

The iOS 19 Redesign

iOS 19 render

As for iOS 19, several sources are expecting a redesign of the OS. Perhaps the biggest redesign since iOS 7.
We have renders from FPT that are based on a preview build of the software.
Aside from the design, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that he hopes to reach a deal with Apple for built-in Gemini integration on iPhones by mid-2025. Just in time for iOS 19!
Meanwhile, Apple is already testing iOS 19.4 after delaying the highly anticipated Personalized Siri features.

My take: Every year, we hear the same rumor about how iPadOS is going to be more like using a Mac.. and it never happens. When it does, you get Stage Manager (yuck).

Needless to say, my hopes are not high for iPadOS 19 to become more macOS-like. But these rumors come from Gurman, so I am taking it more seriously than in years past.

As for iOS 19, we also hear the same “redesign” rumors every year. And I’m always the one to say that it’s probably not going to happen. However, this year, I think it’s actually going to happen.

I do not think the redesign is going to be as significant as some are hoping for, but it will be a nice fresh paint job. Oh, and the Samsung DeX-like feature with Stage Manager could be an interesting addition.

As for Google Gemini support: We’ve heard that this was coming for a while, so it’s good to see it confirmed by Google’s CEO. I think iOS 19 will have more Apple Intelligence additions than the rumors suggest. We’ll know soon!

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