Australia Court Orders Apple to Open App Store to Rivals by March 2027

Apple has been ordered by the Federal Court of Australia to open its App Store to competing marketplaces and to end its anti-steering rules, bringing years of litigation to a head. The court set a compliance deadline of March 1, 2027. If Apple cannot meet that date, it has until February 15, 2027 to submit evidence justifying an extension, and until February 1 to signal that it will not be ready in time.

According to AppleInsider, the 1,104-paragraph filing found that Apple engaged in antitrust conduct that warrants remedial action. The demands broadly mirror those imposed on Apple in the European Union under the Digital Markets Act, though the Australian court added wording meant to close off room for creative interpretation. The measures cover both the distribution of apps and the rules governing how developers can direct users to outside payment options.

One requirement is that Apple permit Epic Games to resubmit Fortnite and any other apps to the App Store, as long as they follow Apple's current guidelines. That resubmission is expected to take place right away, a notable shift in a dispute that began with Fortnite's removal from the storefront. The court also ruled that Apple owes 85% of Epic's costs for the trial.

The Australian order arrives amid a broader wave of antitrust pressure on Apple worldwide. The EU's Digital Markets Act has already forced significant changes to how the App Store operates in Europe, and AppleInsider reports that Australia appears to be pursuing comparable results through a single piece of legislation rather than a patchwork of cases. Regulators and developers in multiple markets have been watching how far courts will go in reshaping the storefront's rules.

Apple is widely expected to appeal the decision at every stage, which could delay or reshape the remedies before the 2027 deadline arrives. For now, the ruling stands as one of the more detailed set of obligations imposed on the company's App Store business outside Europe, and it puts a firm calendar in place for compliance.