A Ninth Circuit panel overturned a stay that had let Apple keep its current App Store commission structure while it sought Supreme Court review. The decision sends the fee dispute back to a lower court, where judges will decide how much Apple can charge developers who steer users to external payment methods.

Epic Games moved quickly after Apple’s pause, filing motions that argued the company lacked time to respond and that the stay was unwarranted. The court agreed, noting Apple had not shown a likely Supreme Court hearing and that the high court had already declined to hear the case in 2024. Epic’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, celebrated the win on X, calling Apple’s “delaying tactics” over.

The case traces to a 2021 injunction that forced Apple to relax its “anti‑steering” rules, followed by a 2025 split decision that let Apple charge a reasonable fee. Now Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide the exact commission Apple may collect, while Apple can still petition the Supreme Court.

This reversal sharpens the battle over developer fees, redefining how Apple can monetize its platform and impacting thousands of developers who rely on external payment links.