Tim Sweeney, Epic’s chief executive, said on Twitter that he was not satisfied with the ruling because it did not go far enough in allowing companies to complete in-app transactions with their own payment systems, versus having to direct customers to outside websites. He said Fortnite would not return to the App Store until such rules were in place.
“Today’s ruling isn’t a win for developers or for consumers,” he said. “We will fight on.”
That’s how I interpreted “buttons, external links, or calls to action that _direct_ users to purchasing mechanisms” (emphasis line): that the user will be directed to an external payment mechanism outside the app.
There isn't anything in the ruling that specifically and only protects a payment mechanism through a web page. The ruling protects linking to any alternative payment mechanism. That should include a payment mechanism implemented in-app.
Tim Sweeney, Epic’s chief executive, said on Twitter that he was not satisfied with the ruling because it did not go far enough in allowing companies to complete in-app transactions with their own payment systems, versus having to direct customers to outside websites. He said Fortnite would not return to the App Store until such rules were in place.
“Today’s ruling isn’t a win for developers or for consumers,” he said. “We will fight on.”
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/technology/epic-apple-app...