U.S. Justice Department Ramps Up Apple Investigation Amid Antitrust Concerns

The U.S. Department of Justice has escalated its antitrust probe into Apple in recent months, according to The Wall Street Journal. Specifically, the report claims additional litigators have been assigned to the case and new requests have been submitted for documents and consultations with companies connected to the investigation.

iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue
As part of the probe, the report claims the Justice Department is looking into Apple's App Store business practices and whether iOS favors Apple's own apps and services over those provided by third-party developers and other companies.

Apple declined to comment on the report, but the company has previously denied that it operates anticompetitively and said it welcomes competition on the App Store.

The investigation began in 2019, when the Justice Department inquired about Apple's policies surrounding the App Store and met with developers to learn more about the App Store's review process. If the Justice Department chooses to move forward with a complaint, then Apple would face an antitrust lawsuit by the U.S. government.

Apple has been accused of or investigated for anticompetitive practices in several other countries over the past few years, including the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Japan, and more, with many of the complaints related to the App Store. As a result, Apple has been forced to make changes to the App Store in some countries, such as allowing developers to offer alternative payment systems in South Korea.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Apple Event Logo Hints at Two iPhone 17 Pro Features

Wednesday August 27, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
Apple's logo for its upcoming September 9 event hints at two rumored iPhone 17 Pro features, including new color options and a vapor chamber cooling system. Of course, this is all just speculation for fun, as we count down the final days until the event. New Colors Last month, Macworld's Filipe Espósito reported that orange and dark blue would be two out of the five color options...
Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
crossbody strap

iPhone 17's 'Crossbody Strap' Accessory to Feature Magnetic Design

Thursday August 28, 2025 7:49 am PDT by
Apple's cases for the iPhone 17 lineup will be accompanied by a new Crossbody Strap accessory with a unique magnetic design, according to the leaker known as "Majin Bu." Apple's Crossbody Strap reportedly features an unusual magnetic design; it likely has a "flexible metal core" that makes it magnetic along its entire length. At the ends, "rings polarized oppositely to the strap close the...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3: Four Key Design Changes Anticipated

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:05 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will launch AirPods Pro 3 later this year, and apart from new features like heart rate monitoring, we're also expecting a few design changes. The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for ...

Top Rated Comments

turbineseaplane Avatar
33 months ago
Love it ...

Apple needs to be brought to heel a bit

We'll all be better off for it -- even Apple (eventually)
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BootsWalking Avatar
33 months ago
Time to remake the 1984 commercial but with Apple the one talking on the the big screen.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DelayedGratificationGene Avatar
33 months ago
I mean this has been going on for a decade at least. Stop grandstanding and wasting taxpayer money already. Billions of people trust the security and privacy ecosystem of Apple. Keep your ignorant hands off and stop helping hackers and thieves etc!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
33 months ago
Apple declined to comment on the report, but the company has previously denied that it operates anticompetitively and said it welcomes competition on the App Store.
Welcomes competition ?

It must've been another company that has been fighting tooth and nail to prevent alternative 3rd party payment options or prevent reader app developers from including an in-app link to their own website for users to set up and/or manage payments for their accounts.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jaw04005 Avatar
33 months ago

This is an investigation about anticompetitive practices that Apple might be identified with. The App Store is only part of it, you have Apple Pay, Apple Card also competing with traditional banking industry and credit card companies.
Well, I for one would definitely want my tax dollars going to protect the traditional banking industry and credit card companies.

No one needs more protection than those two industries.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
33 months ago

The U.S. Department of Justice has escalated its antitrust probe into Apple in recent months, according to The Wall Street Journal ('https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-escalates-apple-probe-looks-to-involve-antitrust-chief-2fa86ddf'). Specifically, the report claims additional litigators have been assigned to the case and new requests have been submitted for documents and consultations with companies connected to the investigation.
This is an investigation about anticompetitive practices that Apple might be identified with.

9to5 had this additional information.

The probe is reaching the point to where the team is looking for ways to involve Jonathan Kanter, the head of the DOJ’s antitrust division. As previous reports have said, Kanter represented opponents of Apple, including Spotify, Tile, Match, and Basecamp, prior to joining the DOJ.

Apple would easily be able to challenge this anticompetitive investigation probe based on obvious bias of Jonathan Kanter that is involved.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)