EU Reportedly Planning to Charge Apple for Violating Digital Markets Act

The European Commission plans to charge Apple for violating the Digital Markets Act after determining that the iPhone maker is not complying with obligations to allow app developers to "steer" users to offers outside of the App Store without fees, according to the Financial Times, which cites three people familiar with the matter.

App Store vs EU Feature 2
It appears that the EU is taking issue with Apple's Core Technology Fee, but the exact charges that it allegedly plans to bring against Apple are unclear.

Apple could face non-compliance fines of up to 5% of its average daily worldwide revenue, which is currently just over $1 billion, according to the report.

The report said the EU's findings are preliminary, so Apple may still have time to make any necessary changes on iOS before the charges are formally laid by regulators. In the event the EU moves forward with the charges, they would be formally announced by the European Commission over the "coming weeks," the report added.

Apple made major changes to the App Store, Apple Pay, Safari, and more on the iPhone in the EU as part of iOS 17.4 earlier this year. Apple now allows alternative app marketplaces, but it still charges a Core Technology Fee. Apple also introduced a default web browser selection screen in Safari, now allows third-party web browsers to use web engines other than its own WebKit engine on the iPhone, and now allows third-party mobile wallet apps to access the iPhone's NFC chip for contactless payment functionality.

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

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

turbineseaplane Avatar
22 months ago
Fantastic news

It's time to start with some ramifications for the continual blatant disregard for the spirit of the EU regulations and their intent

Apple apparently thinks they can just make a mockery of regulations
It's time to remind them who's in charge in a jurisdiction (not them)
Score: 63 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
22 months ago
If your idea for a multinational tech company is "leave a very large market", rather than comply with regulations of said market....

I'd question your organizational leadership ideology, quite frankly
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DaSal Avatar
22 months ago
Good. Apple needs to comply with European law if it sells products in Europe. Just like how European countries have to comply with US law to operate in the US. It's kind of bizar how many people in this thread seem to imply that US companies somehow don't have to respect local laws. Why wouldn't they? That's how business works in every country. Any company always has to comply with the local laws of the country in which they're operating. Why would it be any different for Apple?

People also seem to be forgetting that there's also an antitrust case against Apple in the US, for many of the same reasons as in the EU.

The idea of Apple pulling out of the EU is, simply, absurd. The costs of complying are minuscule compared to the profits they'd lose if they pulled out of the EU.

Also, anyone in this thread who's enjoying playing on an emulator on their iOS device should be thanking the EU for these laws, since the Digital Markets Act is the only reason Apple now allows emulators in the App Store.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
22 months ago

Tickle me surprised, government not liking the outcomes of legislation, expected to be handled by company.
"Company blatantly disregarding the clear and easy to understand intent and spirit of the regulation"
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Mac Daz Avatar
22 months ago
It was always heading this way sooner than later
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cocky jeremy Avatar
22 months ago
Get out, Apple. It will never end if you don't. These morons hate success.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)