Italy's competition authority, the AGCM, has ordered Apple to open iOS to rival payment systems, according to reports circulating this week, a ruling that lands squarely on the App Store rules at the center of the long-running Fortnite dispute.
The decision matters because Apple has spent years defending the idea that the iPhone's payment stack is inseparable from its security model. A national regulator in a European Union member state telling the company to let others in is a direct challenge to that argument.
The Fortnite fight, revisited
The order connects to the App Store battle that Epic Games has waged for years: who gets to sell digital goods inside an iPhone, and who takes a cut. Apple has consistently argued that third-party payment routes weaken protections for users.
Epic has argued the opposite, that the restrictions are anti-competitive. The AGCM's move puts European regulators on the same side of that debate, and it gives the Fortnite saga a second front beyond the courts.
What the order covers
Reports describe the requirement as opening iOS to competing payment providers, which is a narrower demand than dismantling the App Store entirely. The exact scope and any compliance deadline still have not been confirmed by Apple.
Expect an appeal: the company has contested similar orders in other jurisdictions and tends to delay implementation while legal challenges play out. That means nothing changes on the ground immediately.
- Italy's AGCM has ordered Apple to open iOS to rival payment systems
- The order targets the same App Store rules at the heart of the Epic Games vs Apple fight
