Apple threatens to terminate Epic’s access to iOS and Mac developer tools

Apple will terminate Epic's inclusion in the Apple Developer Program, a membership that's necessary to distribute apps on iOS devices or use Apple developer tools, if the company does not cure your breaches" to the agreement within two weeks, according to a letter from Apple that was shared by Epic. Epic won't be able to notarize Mac apps either, a process that could make installing Epic's software more difficult or block it altogether. Apple requires that all apps are notarized before they can be run on newer versions of macOS, even if they're distributed outside the App Store.

Epic has filed for a preliminary injunction against Apple, asking the court to stop the company from cutting it off. Epic says it will be irreparably harmed long before final judgment comes" if it does not obtain the injunction. Apple's actions will irreparably damage Epic's reputation among Fortnite users and be catastrophic for the future of the separate Unreal Engine business," Epic writes. Epic also asks for Fortnite - with its lowered prices and alternate payment option - to be returned to the App Store.

A bully is bad. A self-righteous bully surrounded by an internal and external army of yes-men is a million times worse. I sadly don't expect much from the United States Congress, but I hope the European Commission is keeping very close tabs on Apple's abusive anti-consumer behaviour here.

And the general reminder: you might've paid a grand for your iPhone, but it really isn't your iPhone. It's Apple's, and they, and only they, get to decide how you use it.