Judge Says Apple Must Face Cydia Antitrust Suit

Cydia logo - Image via AppSystem.fr

31 MAY 2022 - Cydia has a date in court against Apple. A piece from Engadget says the first name in app stores for jailbroken phones can proceed with its antitrust case against Apple.

The report says Cydia sued Apple at the end of 2020. The argument was that Apple had an “illegal monopoly over iOS app distribution.” Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers (of Epic v. Apple fame) dismissed that complaint, saying that “the suit fell outside the statute of limitations.” But Cydia could amend the complaint, which it did. “In its latest complaint,” says the Engadget piece:

…Cydia argues that iOS updates Apple released between 2018 and 2021 constituted “overt” acts that harmed distributors like itself. That’s a claim Judge Gonzalez Rogers found credible enough to explore.

The organization is looking for damages. It also “hopes to force [Apple] to open iOS to third-party payments and app distributors,” according to the report.