Yesterday it appeared that Apple was planning to terminate the ability for Epic gamers to “Sign in with Apple”. This would have come into effect on the 11th of September, but it looks like Apple might have had a change of heart because the company has since delayed the termination of the feature.
This is according to a tweet by the Fortnite Twitter account who claims that Apple has given them an “indefinite” extension, meaning that it is unclear when this termination will happen, if at all. However, the tweet does recommend that gamers should probably start looking into changing their login methods to prepare for the eventuality that this termination will happen.
UPDATE: Apple previously stated they would terminate “Sign In with Apple” support for Epic Games accounts after Sept 11, 2020, but today provided an indefinite extension. We still recommend you prepare your accounts now for “Sign In with Apple” removal. https://t.co/T0Rq0tfrR7
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) September 10, 2020
It is unclear why Apple might have had a change of heart, but perhaps they could be looking to avoid more legal issues, since it appears that terminating this feature has nothing to do with the lawsuit between Apple and Epic over the App Store issue. It is also possible that maybe Apple does not want to inconvenience gamers who are simply caught in the crossfire between both companies.
“Sign in with Apple” was designed to be an alternative to other login methods such as using Facebook and Google, but with greater privacy protections, at least that’s according to Apple.