Federal Court orders Apple to let Fortnite back on the Australian App Store
Epic says Fortnite is due back from Friday. Rival app stores and outside payments must be allowed on iPhones here by March 2027, and Apple plans to appeal.
Justice Jonathan Beach of the Federal Court of Australia on Thursday ordered Apple to do what's needed to readmit Fortnite and Epic's other apps to the App Store in Australia, AAP reports. It's the remedies stage of the case, after the court found in August 2025 that Apple had misused its market power.
Epic posted that Fortnite would be "coming back to the App Store in Australia tomorrow", meaning Friday. The court set no date: Apple has to act once Epic asks in writing, and the app still has to meet App Store guidelines. Fortnite returned to the App Store in other countries in May, but not here.
The bigger changes are due by 1 March 2027, Engadget and Point Blank report, and Apple can ask the court for more time. Apple must let Australians download apps straight from developers or from rival app stores, subject to security checks, let developers use other payment systems and point players to them, and can't charge fees on purchases made in third-party stores. The orders cover Australia only; Point Blank reports the court rejected Epic's push to apply them worldwide.
Apple told AAP it respectfully disagrees with many findings in the case and will "request a stay and appeal the outcome". Point Blank reports Apple has also been ordered to pay 85% of Epic's legal costs from the liability trial.
Sources: AAP · Reuters · Engadget · Point Blank