Apple Tried To Reject Fortnite On iOS (Again) For The Most Trivial Reason

Highlights

Apple initially rejected Epic Games Store and Fortnite for iOS in the EU due to design similarities.
Epic Games plans to launch the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU within months.
Apple accepted the submission, possibly due to Epic’s threat of reporting the incident to the European Commission.

Epic Games has said that Apple initially rejected its storefront, known as the Epic Games Store, and Fortnite from iOS devices earlier this week due to what many are calling a “petty” reason. The submission has since been accepted within the EU, but it appears as though Apple intended to do everything it could to prevent the popular Battle Royale title from returning to iOS.

Late last month, Epic Games confirmed the timeline in which Fortnite fans could expect to see the title return to iOS devices, at least within the EU, anyway. Currently, there are no plans to bring back Fortnite and the Epic Games Store to those in the US and the rest of the world, as Apple is only required to allow users to access other marketplaces within the EU and UK thanks to new laws that were passed last year and earlier this year.

Warzone Is Reportedly Bringing Back Verdansk Due To Success Of Fortnite OG

A new report suggests that Activision will be bringing back Warzone’s Verdansk map due to the popularity of Fortnite OG.

As last month drew to a close, Epic Games laid out its plans for Fortnite’s return to iOS devices within the EU. The studio revealed that it had already submitted both the Epic Games Store and Fortnite to Apple for the company’s required notarization process and was planning to launch both apps in “the next couple [of] months.”

Then, yesterday afternoon, Epic Games took to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal that Apple had rejected its submission. “Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarization submission twice now,” Epic said. The studio went on to say that Apple had rejected the submission as the design and position of Epic’s ‘Install’ button was too similar to Apple’s ‘Get’ button on the App Store. Apple also said Epic’s ‘In-app purchases’ label was too similar to that of the App Store’s label.

Epic went on to explain: “We are using the same “Install” and “In-app purchases” naming conventions that are used across popular app stores on multiple platforms, and are following standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps. We’re just trying to build a store that mobile users can easily understand, and the disclosure of in-app purchases is a regulatory best practice followed by all stores nowadays.”

The studio called Apple’s rejection “arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA.” But later that day, Epic revealed that Apple had reverted its decision and accepted the submission, which means the Epic Games Store and Fortnite are now gearing up to return to iOS devices within the EU in the next couple of months.

It’s not clear why Apple reverted its decision, but it’s possible that Epic’s threat of reporting the incident to the European Commission caused the company to change its mind. There’s also the possibility that Epic simply changed the design of its “Install” and “In-app purchases” buttons to please Apple, but Epic Games did not say whether or not that was the case.

The good news is that Fortnite fans can finally jump back in on iOS devices within the next couple of months (in the EU), with a UK release expected to follow next year.