Tim Sweeney took a victory lap after courts said Apple could not delay the forced compliance to allow third party payments.

By Mike Scarcella (Reuters) -Apple has failed to persuade a U.S. appeals court to pause key parts of a federal judge's order requiring the iPhone maker to immediately open its lucrative App Store to more competition.

Apple must now allow app developers to include web links and external payment options in their iOS apps after a court rejected the company’s attempt to delay a previous ruling. This decision is part of an ongoing legal battle that began in 2020, when Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, sued Apple over the App Store’s strict rules and high fees.