by Juli Clover
Apple is facing a "number" of "very serious" issues with its Digital Markets Act compliance in Europe, EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in an interview with CNBC.
The European Commission opened an investigation into Apple in March to determine if Apple's EU app marketplace changes were complying with DMA regulations. The DMA requires Apple to provide developers with an option to distribute apps outside of the App Store and without App Store's fees. Apple implemented support for app marketplaces with iOS 17.4, but it charges an 0.50 euro Core Technology Fee for each download after the initial 1 million annual installs.
Vestager does not believe that Apple's changes meet the requirements of the DMA. "We have a number of Apple issues; I find them very serious," she said. "I was very surprised that we would have such suspicions of Apple being non-compliant."
She went on to say that this implementation "is not what was expected of such a company" and that the DMA rules will be enforced "exactly with the same top priority as with any other business."
The European Commission plans to reveal the conclusions of its probe "hopefully soon," and if Apple is found to be violating the terms of the DMA, the European Union could levy significant fines up to five percent of its average daily worldwide revenue (upwards of $1 billion).
Last week, Financial Times said that the European Commission is planning to charge Apple for violating the Digital Markets Act. The EC believes that Apple is not complying with its obligation to allow developers to "steer" users outside of the App Store without fees.
Apple does still have time to make changes to iOS before charges are announced by regulators, and the EC is expected to make an announcement in the "coming weeks."
Tags: European Union, European Commission
[ 871 comments ]
Popular Stories
Apple Shares Full List of Over 250 New Features and Changes Coming With iOS 18
Wednesday September 11, 2024 7:16 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Following its iPhone 16 event on Monday, Apple shared a PDF on its website with a list of all new features and changes coming with iOS 18. The list includes many features that were already announced, including Apple Intelligence, new customization options for the Home Screen and Control Center, a redesigned Photos app, several enhancements to the Messages app, a Passwords app, and more....
Read Full Article • 66 comments
Skipping the iPhone 16 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 17 Pro
Wednesday September 11, 2024 8:20 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Will you be skipping the iPhone 16 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 17 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap key new features rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models so far: 24MP front camera for all iPhone 17 models: All four iPhone 17 models will feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, according to Apple supply chain analysts Ming-Chi...
Read Full Article • 146 comments
10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17
Friday September 13, 2024 2:40 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Read Full Article • 273 comments
Here's When iPhone 16 Pre-Orders Begin in Every Time Zone
Thursday September 12, 2024 6:12 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Pre-orders for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max are set to begin on Friday, September 13 at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with the new devices set to become available in multiple countries around the world simultaneously. We've compiled pre-order times for various countries to help MacRumors readers be among the first to order. This list isn't...
Read Full Article • 76 comments
Apple Discontinues iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 13
Monday September 9, 2024 2:09 pm PDT by Juli Clover
With the launch of the new iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple has discontinued some of its older iPhones. As of today, Apple is no longer selling the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have been replaced with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The iPhone SE remains as Apple's most affordable device, with the iPhone 14 and iPhone...
Read Full Article • 95 comments
Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware With Support for iOS 18 Features
Tuesday September 10, 2024 11:40 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2, including both the Lightning and USB-C versions. The firmware has a build number of 7A294, up from 6F8, and it is available for all AirPods Pro 2 users. Apple has been beta testing this update, but it is launching ahead of when iOS 18 becomes available next Monday. There are multiple features that Apple is adding to the...
Read Full Article • 116 comments
Top Rated Comments
frenchcamp49er
13 weeks ago
Apple needs to leave the EU
Score: 77 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sputnikv
13 weeks ago
the eu regulates tech as much as it does because its own sector can’t compete with anything coming out of the states, japan, s.korea and china
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Maclver
13 weeks ago
I personally don’t plan on side loading apps. But at what point is Apple just going to have to open up iOS to be like macOS where I can download any app I wanted from any source without Apple involvement.
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
garranhado
13 weeks ago
US creates
China copy
EU tax, tax, tax
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WolfSnap
13 weeks ago
Maybe Apple should just pull out of the EU. Just a thought.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NMBob
13 weeks ago
The only responsible thing to do in that they are mortally damaging everyone is to suspend all sales and services in the EU until the lawyer stuff is finished.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments
'); }
Next Article
Top Stories: Apple Event Recap With iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4, and More