Technically, Apple officially allows EU third-party app stores to be hosted on its iOS devices so that its iPhones can comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Epic Games then announced that a mobile version of the Epic Games Store will launch in the EU on iOS products later in 2024.

However, Apple reportedly tried to prevent Epic Games from launching the store. Today, Epic Games said that Apple rejected its submissions for the Epic Games Store, although they are apparently following submissions from other companies:

B Multi-threaded post on his X accountThe Epic Games newsroom stated:

Apple has rejected our notarization submission for the Epic Games Store now, claiming that the design and placement of Epic’s Install button is too similar to Apple’s Get button and that our In-App Purchases label is too similar to the App Store’s Purchases label within the application”.

Epic says that the naming conventions it introduced are used in other app stores on other platforms, and that its buttons are also the standard used in other iOS apps. It added:

We’re just trying to build a store that mobile users can easily understand, and the disclosure of in-app purchases is a regulatory best practice that all stores follow today.

The announcement ended with Epic saying that Apple’s rejections of its Epic Games Store tags were “arbitrary, blocking and in violation of the DMA.” Epic says it has notified the European Union’s regulatory body, the European Commission, of these actions and that it still plans to launch the Epic Games Store for iOS “in the next two months” if Apple doesn’t introduce more barriers.

Earlier this year, Apple canceled the Epic Games developer account that previously allowed it to create an Epic Games Store app for iOS in the EU. The European Commission quickly asked Apple for more information on its decision. A day after it was revealed, Apple restored the developer account for Epic Games.