Apple’s Epic fail: Court slams door on rehearing bids

The Ninth Circuit just handed Apple a unanimous rejection of both its rehearing petitions in the Epic Games case, and the internet’s collective ‘told you so’ is deafening. This isn’t just a legal loss—it’s the court’s way of saying ‘we’re done here’ after Apple’s repeated attempts to undo last year’s mixed ruling. For players, the real question isn’t about courtroom drama but whether this finally forces Apple to loosen its iron grip on iOS payments and sideloading.

Epic’s victory lap is already in full swing, but the community’s reaction is more ‘cool, now what?’ than confetti cannons. Reddit threads like r/iOSGaming are flooding with skepticism: ‘Will Apple actually comply, or just drag this out with micro-transaction workarounds?’ The 2021 ruling already forced Apple to allow external payment links, but developers call the current system ‘a labyrinth of fees and restrictions.’ This rejection removes another roadblock—but the finish line for real change is still miles away.

The unanimous decision (all 11 judges agreed) underscores how weakly Apple’s arguments landed. Their core claim—that Epic’s case threatened ‘all digital marketplaces’—got the judicial equivalent of an eye-roll. As legal analyst Florencia Marotta-Wurgler put it: *‘The court basically said: *‘Your doomsday scenario isn’t happening, and your App Store rules aren’t sacred.’**’

For players, the PATCH TRANSLATOR here is simple: this ruling could mean cheaper in-game purchases if Apple stops taking its 30% cut on every transaction. But ‘could’ is the operative word. Apple’s history suggests they’ll find new ways to keep revenue flowing—like their current ‘27% fee for small devs’ scheme, which critics call ‘a PR stunt’. The COMMUNITY PULSE is clear: players don’t trust Apple to play fair without a gun to its head.

The BACKLASH RADAR is already pinging. If Apple complies minimally—say, allowing sideloading but burying it in settings—expect another Epic-sized lawsuit. The Coalition for App Fairness is watching, and their member list (Spotify, Match Group, et al.) is ready to pounce. Meanwhile, indie devs are split: some fear fragmentation, others see this as their only shot at survival outside Apple’s walled garden.

This isn’t the end—it’s the end of Apple’s stall tactics. The real test starts now: will they treat this as a ‘comply in spirit’ moment, or double down on ‘malicious compliance’? The clock’s ticking, and the next move isn’t in a courtroom—it’s in the App Store’s terms of service.