Apple reverses course and clears way for Epic Games to set up rival iPhone app store in Europe

Apple has reversed course under regulatory pressure and cleared the way for a nettlesome adversary, video game maker Epic Games, to set up an alternative store for iPhone apps in Europe. The about-face disclosed Friday is the latest twist in a bitter fight between Apple and Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite video game, over the way iPhone apps are distributed. Epic had been planning to take advantage of new rules in Europe to open an alternative app store, but then Apple rebuffed that attempt. The rejection triggered a swift inquiry from regulators that culminated in Apple's change of heart.