Apple is first company charged with violating EU’s DMA rules

Apple’s App Store “steering” policies interruption the EU’s Digital Markets Act meant to promote competition, said regulators in their preliminary ruling Monday. The European Commission has besides opened a caller probe into Apple’s enactment for alternate iOS marketplaces successful Europe, including the halfway exertion interest it charges developers.

“Our preliminary presumption is that Apple does not afloat let steering,” said Margrethe Vestager who heads up contention argumentation successful Europe. “Steering is cardinal to guarantee that app developers are little babelike connected gatekeepers’ app stores and for consumers to beryllium alert of amended offers.”

Under the DMA, Apple and different alleged gatekeepers indispensable let app developers to steer consumers to offers extracurricular their app stores escaped of charge. Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft are the six gatekeepers who had to beryllium afloat compliant with rules arsenic of March 2024.

Apple is the archetypal to beryllium charged nether the DMA rules aft the EU’s contention authorization opened several investigations successful March. (Meta and Google are besides being scrutinized for non-compliance.) Apple has clip to respond to the European Commission’s preliminary appraisal up of its last ruling earlier March 2025. A last infringement ruling could spot Apple fined up to 10 percent of its yearly planetary revenue, oregon $38 cardinal based connected past year’s numbers. That increases to 20 percent for repetition infringements.

The European Commission has besides opened caller proceedings into Apple’s enactment for alternative iOS app stores. The probe is focused connected the contentious Core Technology Fee, the laborious multi-step process required for users to instal the third-party marketplaces, and Apple’s eligibility requirements for developers.

“We person besides opened proceedings against Apple successful narration to its alleged halfway exertion interest and assorted rules for allowing 3rd enactment app stores and sideloading,” said Vestager. “The developers’ assemblage and consumers are anxious to connection alternatives to the App Store. We volition analyse to guarantee Apple does not undermine these efforts.”

On Friday, Apple blamed “regulatory uncertainties” related to the DMA for delaying the rollout of cornerstone iOS 18 features to European users this year. Apple blamed interoperability requirements that could undermine idiosyncratic privateness and information security.