The judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, had first said no to the class action in March 2022, but changed her mind after the lawyers narrowed down the group to only Apple customers who spent more than £7 on apps or in-app stuff.

She said she was worried that some of the 10 million accounts in the group might not have been harmed by Apple, but said that number could be cut down later. She said there was no fixed rule for how many people could join the lawsuit.

She ignored Apple's attempt to block two expert witnesses, including a Nobel Prize-winning economist, Daniel McFadden, who Apple claimed was not reliable. These experts are expected to show how Apple ripped off its customers.

Mark Rifkin, the lawyer for the customers, said he was "over the moon" with the judge's decision and looked forward to the next stage of the 12-year-old case. He said the group had lost "billions of pounds" because of Jobs' Mob.

The same judge was in charge of the Epic Games vs. Apple clash. In September 2021, she told Apple to let developers ask for payment in other ways. But she didn't go as far as making Apple let people download apps outside the App Store.

A US appeals court mostly agreed with her in April 2023, and the US Supreme Court decided not to get involved last month. This made Apple finally let app developers put links and buttons to other payment methods for in-app stuff.

But the case is not over yet, and Apple's rules are already changing around the world. For example, the EU Digital Markets Act is forcing Apple to change, making it allow other app stores and payment methods in the European Union.