Fortnite returns to iOS in Australia after court win
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Australian court orders Apple to open iOS to rival app stores and alternative payments; Fortnite is back, and sweeping changes take effect in March 2027.
Fortnite returned to the iOS App Store in Australia on Thursday (22), a day after the Federal Court of Australia ordered Apple to open the system to third-party app stores and alternative payment methods. The 235-page ruling, signed by Justice Jonathan Beach, found that Apple used its market power to restrict competition in app distribution and in-app payments, in breach of the country's competition law. Epic Games, the game's developer, welcomed the decision; Apple says it will seek a stay and appeal.
What the Australian court decided
The ruling clears the way for the most concrete stage of the case Epic Games has brought against Apple in Australia since 2020. The court had already found in August 2025 that Apple and Google abused their dominant positions in the app market. What remained was to define the remedies — and that is what the 235-page judgment, handed down on October 21, 2026 and detailed by 9to5Mac, set out.
Justice Jonathan Beach found that Apple held substantial power in the two markets underpinning the iPhone business model: app distribution and in-app payment solutions. According to the judge, the company used developer agreements and App Store guidelines to protect its closed ecosystem and limit rivals. The conduct was found to breach section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, which prohibits companies with substantial market power from engaging in conduct that has the purpose, or is likely to have the effect, of substantially lessening competition.
"Apple had a substantial degree of power in the iOS app distribution services market and the iOS in-app payment solutions market."
Among the practices scrutinised, the ruling listed blocking app downloads outside the App Store, preventing distribution through alternative channels, requiring Apple's in-app payment system, banning links to external payment methods and refusing to let developers handle refunds directly. The court also cited the 2020 episode, when Apple removed Fortnite and terminated Epic's developer account after the company created Epic Direct Pay, a system that bypassed the store's commission.
The orders are broad and staggered. From March 1, 2027, Australian users with an App Store account will be able to install apps from third-party stores and directly from developers' websites. Developers will be able to offer alternative payment methods, including inside apps distributed through the App Store, and point customers to purchases outside the store. Apple will be barred from charging fees for access to alternative distribution channels and will have to limit certain commissions on external payments. It will also be unable to stop developers from offering lower prices outside its payment system.
Fortnite is already back; Epic Games Store comes later
Fortnite's return was the fastest part of the package. The order requiring Apple to readmit eligible Epic apps is not subject to the March 2027 deadline: it applies immediately, once the developer files a written request. That is what allowed the game to reappear on the Australian App Store on Thursday, after more than six years off the iPhone in the country.
The Epic Games Store, the company's own marketplace, has no date yet for its Australian iOS debut. Its arrival is expected to depend on the rules that take effect in March 2027. For now, Australian players can download Fortnite directly from the App Store — and take part in Fortnitemares 2026, the Halloween event currently running in the game.
"The Australian Epic v Apple antitrust remedies were just issued, and are a huge victory for consumers and developers. We are studying the verdict and will share more soon."
The statement was posted by Sweeney on his X account. Epic also celebrated the ruling's broader impact. In a statement, the company said "Fortnite is coming back to the App Store in Australia tomorrow" and called the outcome "great news for developers worldwide and iOS users in Australia who will benefit from an open mobile app ecosystem".
Timeline: what changes and when
The measures were split into stages. Readmitting Epic's apps is immediate; opening up iOS more broadly is not. Here are the dates set by the Federal Court:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Oct 21, 2026 | Federal Court publishes the 235-page remedies ruling |
| Oct 22, 2026 | Fortnite returns to the Australian App Store |
| Feb 15, 2027 | Deadline for Apple to request an extension |
| Mar 1, 2027 | Alternative stores, sideloading, external payments and links to purchases outside apps take effect |
| May 3, 2027 | Final deadline if Apple's extension request is approved |
| No date | Epic Games Store arrives on Australian iOS |
In practice, the ruling requires Apple to:
- allow third-party app stores and installation of apps directly from developers' websites;
- accept alternative payment methods without requiring developers to use Apple's in-app purchase system;
- allow links that take users to pay outside the app;
- provide the APIs and tools needed for alternative distribution on terms equivalent to the App Store;
- not charge fees for access to alternative channels or block lower prices outside the store;
- readmit Fortnite and other eligible Epic apps upon formal request.
Apple disputes ruling and promises appeal
Apple did not accept the defeat. In a statement to Reuters, the company said it would seek a stay and appeal. Its argument is familiar: defending intellectual property and the security of the ecosystem.
"We will request a stay and appeal the outcome to seek a resolution that respects our intellectual property and protects the safe, secure experience that consumers and developers expect from the App Store."
Apple has until February 15, 2027 to ask the court for an extension of the implementation deadline, which could push the changes to May 3, 2027, if the court agrees. Even with an appeal, the ruling is not automatically suspended: Apple must persuade the court to pause the effects of the orders while the case moves to higher courts.
The court also handed Apple some wins. Justice Beach rejected Epic's request to extend the injunctions worldwide and allowed Apple to keep security scanning and notarisation for apps distributed outside the App Store. The company is also not required to distribute rival stores through its own App Store. In addition, Apple was ordered to pay 85% of Epic's legal costs from the original trial; a decision on the costs of the remedies hearings was reserved.
Six years of dispute: from removal to return
The fight began in August 2020, when Epic introduced Epic Direct Pay in Fortnite to allow direct purchases at a discount. Apple and Google removed the game from their stores the same month, and Epic sued both companies. In Australia, the case was filed in 2020 and went through hearings covering everything from the definition of the relevant market to the conduct of the app stores.
- August 2020: Fortnite is removed from the App Store and Google Play after the launch of Epic Direct Pay; Epic sues Apple and Google.
- September 2024: the Epic Games Store arrives on iOS in the European Union, driven by the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
- May 2025: after a US court ruling, Fortnite returns to the US App Store; Apple approves the game with third-party payments.
- August 2025: the Federal Court of Australia finds Apple and Google breached competition law; remedies are left for later.
- May 2026: Fortnite returns to the App Store globally, but remains blocked in Australia.
- October 2026: the court publishes the remedies; the game returns to the Australian iOS App Store on October 22.
Australia's exclusion in 2026 was a side effect of Epic's only partial victory the previous year. Because the Australian court had not yet defined the remedies, Apple continued to apply the terms that kept the game out of the country's store. The ruling now removes that obstacle — at least until any appeal is decided.
What it means for players, developers and the market
For Australian players, the most visible change is simple: Fortnite is back on the iPhone without the need for accounts in other regions or alternative installation methods. For developers, the precedent matters more than the isolated case. The Australian ruling adds to changes already imposed in the European Union and the United States and reinforces global pressure on app store commission models.
The potential economic impact is considerable. According to Liam Deane, games analyst at consultancy Omdia, mobile app stores collect more than $30 billion a year in distribution fees. With the rise of direct payments and alternative stores, part of that revenue could shift to publishers and developers — or be passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices.
In Brazil, the ruling has no direct legal effect, but it fuels the regulatory debate over opening mobile ecosystems. The Australian case is being watched by developers and competition authorities in several countries because it sets a concrete standard for remedies: recognising abuse is not enough; courts must set deadlines, obligations and costs. The judgment also shows that treating app stores as separate markets — distribution and payments — can support deeper interventions than Apple had been accepting voluntarily.
Next steps. The first battle will be procedural. Apple is expected to seek a stay and appeal; until a decision on that request, the measures may take effect. The February 15, 2027 deadline and the March 1, 2027 date are the next milestones. The arrival of the Epic Games Store on Australian iOS, in turn, depends on how Apple implements the alternative distribution rules — and on how long the appeal takes.
Meanwhile, Epic is celebrating the reconnection with Australian players. For those following the games market, the case is another chapter in a dispute that has lasted six years and now has a concrete outcome in one of the most relevant markets in the Southern Hemisphere. Follow our Fortnite coverage and the main gaming news on O Santuário Geek; for mobile updates, visit the mobile games section.
With information from GamesIndustry.biz.
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