Apple denied stay, must allow external payment options by Dec 9

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has dealt Apple a blow by denying its request for a delay on App Store rule changes.

As a result, Apple must allow developers to implement third-party payment options by Dec 9.

In October, Apple appealed this decision saying that providing outside links is "fraught with risks" and that it needed more time to implement the rules.

Apple attorney Mark Perry said:

This will be the first time Apple has ever allowed live links in an app for digital content. It’s going to take months to figure out the engineering, economic, business, and other issues. It is exceedingly complicated. There have to be guardrails and guidelines to protect children, to protect developers, to protect consumers, to protect Apple. And they have to be written into guidelines that can be explained and enforced and applied.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers, however, was sceptical of Apple's request and framed it as a delay tactic.

You haven’t asked for additional time. You’ve asked for an injunction which would effectively take years. You asked for an across-the-board stay which could take three, four, five years.

If Apple allows third-party payment options, it could stand to lose billions in revenue. Although Apple hasn't disclosed exact figures, analysts say the App Store made around US$19 billion (S$26 billion) for Apple last year.

Unsurprisingly, Apple has said that it will appeal this decision.

This article was first published in Hardware Zone.