European Commission

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European Commission Guides

The EU Wants All Phones to Work With Interoperable Chargers, Here’s What That Means for Apple's Lightning Port

Friday February 21, 2020 9:29 am PST by
Despite pushback from Apple, the European Parliament in January voted overwhelmingly for new rules to establish a common charging standard for mobile device makers across the European Union. This article explores what form the EU laws might ultimately take and how they could affect Apple device users in Europe and elsewhere. What Exactly is the EU Calling For? To reduce cost, electronic...

European Commission Articles

Apple EU iOS Changes

EU Opens Non-Compliance Investigations into Apple, Meta, and Google

Monday March 25, 2024 3:53 am PDT by
Apple's compliance with new EU laws designed to rein in the market power of big tech companies is set to be investigated by regulators, the European Commission has announced. The Commission said on Monday that non-compliance investigations have been opened against Apple, Google, and Meta, under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA). The probe into Apple will look at whether the company...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

EU Antitrust Chief Warns Apple About App Store Fees and Safety Warnings

Wednesday March 20, 2024 4:15 am PDT by
Key parts of Apple's compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) are set to be investigated by European regulators based on developer feedback, the EU's antitrust chief warned on Tuesday. In an interview with Reuters, the European Commission's Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said that Apple's introduction of new fees was already being looked at as a potential attempt to...
Apple vs Spotify feature2

Spotify Complains That Apple Hasn't Approved Update With Subscription Pricing and Links in EU

Thursday March 14, 2024 2:08 pm PDT by
Apple has not approved a Spotify app update that adds information on subscription pricing and links its website, Spotify complained today in an email to the European Commission (via The Verge). Spotify says that Apple has not "acknowledged nor responded" to its App Store submission. The European Commission on March 4 fined Apple almost $2 billion and said that Apple abused its dominant...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

EU Probes Apple's Decision to Shut Down Epic's Developer Account

Thursday March 7, 2024 12:48 am PST by
The European Commission has requested "further explanations" from Apple over its decision yesterday to terminate the developer account of Epic Games, the Financial Times reports. The EC said it was investigating under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a new law aimed at curbing the power of the biggest online platforms. Tech companies faced a March 7 deadline to comply with the legislation. The ...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Lauds $2 Billion EU Fine, Says Apple Has 'Muzzled' Streaming Music Services

Monday March 4, 2024 3:27 pm PST by
Apple was today fined €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) for anti-competitive conduct against rival streaming music services in the European Union, and following the ruling, Spotify has praised the European Commission for its decision. For context, the European Commission's investigation into Apple's practices started due to a 2019 complaint from Spotify over App Store policies. Spotify has long...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

EU Fines Apple $2 Billion for Anti-Competitive Behavior Toward Spotify

Monday March 4, 2024 3:18 am PST by
The European Commission today fined Apple €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) for anti-competitive conduct against rival music streaming services. In a response published on its website, Apple fiercely attacked the Commission's decision, as well as Spotify's behavior. The fine comes as the conclusion to a long-running investigation by the EU, triggered by a complaint from Spotify, into Apple's...
Apple vs Spotify feature2

Apple to Be Fined Over $500 Million in EU Music Streaming Probe

Monday February 19, 2024 2:17 am PST by
Apple is set to be hit with a €500 million ($538 million) fine for allegedly breaking EU law over access to music streaming services, according to a Financial Times report. The focus of the European Commission's investigation has been Apple's policy of preventing streaming music apps from informing iPhone and iPad users within the app that lower subscription prices are available when signing ...
General Apps Messages

Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation

Tuesday February 13, 2024 3:07 am PST by
Apple's iMessage will avoid regulation requiring interoperability with other messaging platforms under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), following the conclusion of an investigation by the regulator (via Bloomberg). The probe concluded that the iMessage platform and Microsoft's Bing do not hold a dominant enough position to be brought under the DMA's strict rules for services provided by...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

These Are the Countries Where You Can Install Apps Outside of the iOS App Store

Thursday January 25, 2024 12:30 pm PST by
Apple today completely overhauled its app system, introducing changes that allow developers to distribute their apps through alternative app stores and use alternative methods of payment in iOS 17.4. Unfortunately, these changes are limited to countries that are in the European Union, and they won't be implemented worldwide. There are 27 EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,...
apple pay feature dynamic island

Apple Offers to Open NFC Payment Technology to Third-Party Developers in Europe

Saturday January 20, 2024 3:11 am PST by
Apple has proposed opening its NFC payment technology to third-party developers in Europe, allowing direct rivals to Apple Pay to operate on the iPhone for the first time. Historically, the use of Apple's NFC chip in iPhones and Apple Watches for payments has been exclusively utilized by ‌Apple Pay‌, limiting the ability of banks and other financial services to offer their own contactless...
apple pay feature dynamic island

Apple Offers iPhone NFC Chip Access to Apple Pay Rivals in EU

Tuesday December 12, 2023 3:26 am PST by
Apple has reportedly offered to open up the iPhone near-field communication (NFC) system that Apple Pay uses to other payment services, in a possible effort to forestall impending EU regulatory action. In a brief report Tuesday, Reuters said that Apple has offered to let rivals access the NFC system in iPhones, but it is not yet clear what Apple's proposal involves. Banks have complained...
European Commisssion

Apple's iMessage May Dodge EU Regulatory Demand for Interoperability

Wednesday December 6, 2023 4:36 am PST by
Apple's iMessage chat service may dodge EU regulatory demands for platform interoperability after all. Bloomberg reports that an investigation by the bloc's antitrust watchdog has tentatively concluded that the chat service is not popular enough with business users to warrant being subject to the new rules. The EU has been working on legislation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that would ...
European Commisssion

Apple Files Legal Challenge Against EU Law as Sideloading Requirement Looms

Friday November 17, 2023 6:09 am PST by
Apple today filed a legal challenge against the European Union's Digital Markets Act ahead of the impending requirement to enable app sideloading on its devices (via Reuters). The Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect on November 1, 2022, requires "gatekeeper" companies to open up their services and platforms to other companies and developers. The DMA will have a significant...
European Commisssion

Apple Could Pay 'Total Political Crap' $14 Billion Tax Bill to EU After All

Thursday November 9, 2023 3:39 am PST by
Apple has suffered a setback in its €13 billion ($14 billion) tax dispute with Brussels after an advisor to the EU's highest court said the company's victory in an earlier ruling should be thrown out (via Financial Times). Giovanni Pitruzzella, advocate-general of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), said on Thursday that Apple's win in the EU General Court "should be set aside" because it...
European Commisssion

Google, European Telecoms Giants Call on EU to Force Open iMessage

Wednesday November 8, 2023 2:58 am PST by
Google and European telecom groups have urged EU regulators to designate iMessage a "core" service that would force Apple to make the communications platform interoperable with competing chat services, reports the Financial Times. In a letter sent to the European Commission, the EU's executive body, the signatories including Google and some of Europe's largest telecoms operators claimed that ...
safari icon blue banner

Apple Argued Safari Is Three Different Browsers to Avoid Regulation

Saturday November 4, 2023 7:44 am PDT by
Apple recently claimed that Safari is three different browsers in effort to avoid regulation in the European Union (via The Register). The claim came as part of a response to the European Union in August, just before the European Commission designated many of Apple's iOS, App Store, and Safari as gatekeeper platforms. This classification means that Apple now has to ensure that these...
iMessages Microsoft feature

EU Asks iMessage Users and Rivals If Service Should Be Regulated

Tuesday October 10, 2023 3:57 am PDT by
EU antitrust regulators have asked Apple's users and rivals to rate the importance of Apple's iMessage and Microsoft's Bing versus competing services, reports Reuters. According to people familiar with the matter, the European Commission sent out the questionnaires earlier this month, asking if there was anything specific to iMessage and Microsoft's Bing, Edge, and Microsoft Advertising that ...
General Apps Messages

Apple Argues iMessage Isn't Popular Enough in the EU to Be Regulated

Tuesday September 5, 2023 4:38 am PDT by
Apple argues that iMessage is not sufficiently popular to be classified as a "gatekeeper" under EU law, the Financial Times reports. The discussion comes ahead of the publication of the first list of services to be regulated by the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The legislation introduces new rules that apply to tech giants that meet its "gatekeeper" criteria and force them to open up their...
USB C Over Lightning Feature

EU Warns Apple About Limiting Speeds of Uncertified USB-C Cables for iPhones

Thursday May 4, 2023 9:29 am PDT by
Last year, the EU passed legislation that will require the iPhone and many other devices with wired charging to be equipped with a USB-C port in order to be sold in the region. Apple has until December 28, 2024 to adhere to the law, but the switch from Lightning to USB-C is expected to happen with iPhone 15 models later this year. It was rumored in February that Apple may be planning to limit...
Apple vs Spotify feature2

Spotify Pens Joint Letter Calling Apple 'Harmful' and 'Anti-Competitive,' Claims App Store Ruins Business

Friday January 20, 2023 3:24 am PST by
Spotify and eight companies and associations have written a letter to the EU Commission's executive vice president calling Apple a harmful, anti-competitive, and monopolistic company that must be regulated through "urgent action." The letter, signed by the CEOs and heads of Basecamp, Deezer, Proton, Schibsted, Spotify, European Publishers Council (EPC), France Digitale, and News Media...