Australia Just Ordered Apple to Open the iPhone to Rival App Stores From March 2027

After a legal battle that began in 2020, Australia has forced open the iPhone's walled garden. On 22 October 2026, the Federal Court of Australia ordered Apple to let iPhone users install apps from rival app stores and developer websites starting 1 March 2027. Apple says it will appeal, but the orders go further than anything the company has faced anywhere in the world.

What the court actually ordered

Justice Jonathan Beach handed down the remedies judgment in Epic Games Inc v Apple Inc (No 2) [2026] FCA 1552, a 235-page decision reported by 9to5Mac. It applies to iPhone owners whose Apple Account region is set to Australia, and it gives Apple until 1 March 2027 to comply in full, with an option to ask the court by 15 February for an extension to 3 May 2027.

The headline order is alternative distribution. Apple must let users discover, install and update apps, including entire third-party app stores, from outside the App Store. Apple may not charge for that access or deliberately make the process harder than installing from its own store, and developers get the tools and APIs they need on substantially the same terms as App Store developers.

Then there is payments. Apple can no longer force apps to use its in-app purchase system or stop developers from linking to their own checkout, even from inside App Store apps. Developers will be free to charge less outside Apple's system.

On fees, the court went further than the terms Apple set for itself in the European Union, according to MacRumors' reading of the orders. Apple may charge nothing on purchases inside apps distributed outside the App Store.

Fortnite is coming back right now

One order is not waiting for March 2027. Once Epic applies in writing, Apple must let Fortnite and Epic's other apps back into the Australian App Store. Epic said the game would return on 22 October, the day the orders were made. Apple removed Fortnite on 13 August 2020 after Epic introduced its own direct payment option, then terminated Epic's developer account.

Why it took six years to get here

The remedies judgment turns into binding orders the liability findings Justice Beach made in August 2025: Apple held a substantial degree of power in two markets, iOS app distribution and iOS in-app payments, and misused it in breach of section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, which bars companies with substantial market power from conduct that substantially lessens competition.

The new orders begin with a declaration that Apple has been in breach of that section since 6 November 2017, according to reports of the judgment. In the United States, Epic's case ended with a 2021 ruling that forced Apple to allow links to external payments, but not rival app stores. Australia has now ordered both.

What changes for iPhone owners

From March 2027, an iPhone with an Australian Apple Account will work a lot more like an Android phone when it comes to getting apps. You will be able to install apps from developers' websites and from competing marketplaces, and update them there too.

Subscriptions and in-app purchases could get cheaper, because developers can link to their own checkout and charge less there. Expect to see price gaps between buying inside an app and buying on a developer's site, the way streaming services already price their web plans below their App Store ones.

There is one catch worth knowing about. Apps from outside the App Store still have to pass an automated security and privacy scan and be notarized by Apple or a qualified third party. That keeps out a lot of junk, but not everything. The practical advice is the same as on Android: install from stores and developers you know, and pay attention to the permissions an app asks for.

What changes for developers

For app makers, the orders open a door that has been shut since the App Store launched. Any developer in Apple's Developer Program will be able to distribute apps to Australian iPhone users through alternative stores, regardless of where the developer is based.

The fee rules are the part developers will care about most. Zero fees on purchases inside apps distributed outside the App Store is a better deal than what Apple offered under the EU's Digital Markets Act, where alternative marketplaces arrived with iOS 17.4 in 2024 but Epic still complains the conditions are too restrictive. In Australia, developers also get back control of refunds: the judge singled out Apple's practice of stopping developers from handling refunds directly.

Apple will appeal, so nothing is settled yet

Apple has confirmed it plans to appeal and is expected to seek a stay of the orders, which could delay implementation. The company also won a partial shield: the court refused to grant a worldwide injunction, so the orders stop at Australia's borders.

Even so, the direction of travel is hard to miss. The EU forced Apple to allow alternative marketplaces in 2024, and now Australia has set the toughest fee terms anywhere. Epic was also awarded 85 percent of its trial legal costs, according to reports of the judgment, which raises the price of losing for Apple in every market where a case is still running.

For Australian iPhone owners, the practical timeline is simple. Fortnite should be back in the Australian App Store now. Rival app stores and outside payments arrive on 1 March 2027, unless Apple's appeal changes the schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do Apple's new Australian App Store rules take effect?

Apple must comply with the full set of orders by 1 March 2027, though it can ask the court by 15 February for an extension to 3 May 2027. The order readmitting Epic's apps takes effect immediately once Epic applies in writing, so Fortnite's return does not wait for March.

Will installing apps outside the App Store be safe?

Safer than unfiltered sideloading, but not risk-free. Apps distributed outside the App Store must pass an automated security and privacy scan and be notarized by Apple or a qualified third party. Stick to known developers and marketplaces and check app permissions.

Does the ruling affect iPhone users outside Australia?

No. The orders apply only to users whose Apple Account region is set to Australia, and the court refused to make the injunction worldwide. Apple says it will appeal, and similar cases are still running in other countries, so the rules may spread, but nothing changes for your iPhone unless your account is Australian.