The App Fair Coalition provides an insider's workings to reveal to the public its collective efforts against Apple

The App Fair Coalition does not want to be seen as a litigation tool for Epic Games, a document detailing some of the key people behind the organization's creation and work. Apple's intense antitrust review of its app store policy was exacerbated by the Epic Games lawsuit, which only took a respite from the appeals court's order for counter-diversion measures on Dec. 8. Although the order was suspended, Apple continues to be pressured by critics on the issue.

One of its main opponents is the App Fairness Coalition, a group of Tile, Spotify, Epic and others who want to suspend some of Apple's policies. In a brief, it was stated that various members of the Alliance had different opinions in their work on how the organization should function.

The group originated as Tilt's general counsel, Kirsten Daru, briefed the House Antitrust Subcommittee on Apple's restrictions on Tile's hardware access, and the panel recommended that Daru hold a public on-the-spot hearing, with CEO CJ Prober calling on Congress to provide "a level playing field" for developers.

The hearing drew more developers to join, as well as more bipartisan pressure on Apple, with Daru encouraging other companies to join the App FairNess Coalition in September 2020. Since then, the organization has grown to 60 members.

"There is one thing that really unites us. We are all completely dependent on the app store," said Jurgita Miseviciute, Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs at Proton. "[The App Store] is our gateway to our customers, and Apple, with almost a single click, can really destroy our business."

Epic plans to spend "$80,000-$100,000" at the alliance's launch, which is seen as an attempt to eliminate its "impersonal" image by partnering with smaller companies. However, the coalition argues that it is not a litigation tool for Epic during litigation. According to the report, the founding members are very keen to avoid such views from the outside world, and their answer to this question is to expound their principles on competition and fairness.

Since its inception, the organization has occasionally had divergent views on how the alliance should proceed. One person familiar with the inner workings said some members wanted to be more radical, while others preferred to take a softer approach.

As far as the way in which the group operates, it is said that roles are assigned to specific companies on the basis of their expertise. For example, some people take advantage of their relationships with international governments, while others deal with strategy and communication.

Lobbying has become the alliance's main strategy, working with state representatives to craft bills that would require third-party payment systems to be used by Apple and other large platforms. Lobbyists included a man in charge of Senator John McCain's re-election campaign, while others had ties to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

So far, states have failed to pass any restriction bills for the App Store, but it has had an impact in other countries. The coalition held a meeting in South Korea in November, attended by the speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, and a bill on app store regulation was passed in the country a few months later.

State-based lobbying is seen as a weakness for Apple, which often refuses to make large financial contributions to political parties or candidates. Despite spending about $7 million on federal lobbying in 2020, insiders in Washington believe Apple will publicly back up existing issues it has affinity for, but is unlikely to organize its own lobbying group.

While sources in the report see Apple's lack of political donations as a weakness, those within the coalition still see Apple as a tough and resource-rich enemy. In one example given, Apple is said to have threatened to abandon its economic development plan to crack down on a Bill in Georgia and even managed to get the state attorney general's office to side with them.