This ruling reshapes how digital businesses operate and users engage with them, marking a broader shift toward open, direct-to-consumer ecosystems.

A three-judge appeals panel denied the phone maker’s appeal to stop an April 30 order prohibiting the company from levying a fee on in-app iPhone transactions processed outside its once-exclusive payment system. This decision was issued in a two-page decision issued late Thursday.

A three-judge appeals panel rejected Apple's request to pause an April 30 order banning the company from charging a fee on in-app iPhone transactions processed outside its once-exclusive payment system in a two-page decision issued late Thursday.