Australia's Federal Court has ordered Apple to allow alternative app stores, sideloading and third-party payments, in the case brought by Epic Games. The judgment is listed as [2026] FCA 1552.
Each order targets a different part of how Apple runs its platform. Alternative app stores are rival marketplaces that sit alongside the App Store. Sideloading means installing an app directly, with no store involved. Third-party payments let developers collect money through their own systems instead of Apple's in-app purchase system, which carries a commission.
The details that decide how much this changes are not yet public: how broad the orders are, when Apple has to comply, and whether it will appeal. Those points tend to matter more than the headline. Apple has appealed adverse rulings before, and compliance deadlines often set the real timeline.
The ruling fits a pattern. The European Union's Digital Markets Act pushed Apple to permit alternative stores and sideloading there in 2024, and Apple responded with new fee structures and security checks that critics said blunted the effect. A US court has separately restricted Apple's limits on steering customers to outside payment options. Australia now adds a third jurisdiction in which Apple may have to run its devices under different rules.
That puts Apple in a patchwork. A market of roughly 27 million people is small next to the EU or the US, so the precedent probably matters more than the revenue. Each new order also gives regulators elsewhere a template to copy or improve on.
The EU experience suggests where the next fight lies. Once opening up is settled, the argument shifts to what Apple may still charge and which checks it may keep. Whether the Australian orders leave room for fees on purchases made outside the App Store is the question that will decide whether developers see a difference.