Apple was tipped to face further heat regarding its App Store practices, after the Federal Court of Australia reportedly overturned a previous decision to ignore an Epic Games-led lawsuit in the country.

CNET reported the Australian court will examine the battle after ruling in favour of an appeal made by Epic Games on the grounds the case is important for competition in app distribution and payment processing options.

Epic Games first challenged Apple in Australia in November 2020, claiming the US company breached local consumer and competition legislation by charging a 30 per cent commission on in-app purchases on the App Store.

The court reportedly agreed with an appeal made by Apple in April which maintained the matter should be settled in the US, but this was overturned yesterday (8 July).

Apple reportedly plans to appeal the latest decision.

Fire between Apple and Epic Games started in August 2020 after the game developer introduced a direct payment option for its popular Fortnite title.

Apple responded by removing the title from iOS, which led to a legal action by Epic Games in the US, followed by similar moves in the European Union, Australia and the UK.