EU Consumer Group Summarizes How Apple Fails to Comply With DMA

There are a number of ways that Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta, ByteDance, and Microsoft are failing to comply with the Digital Markets Act, according to an analysis published by the European Consumer Organization (BEUC). The BEUC advocates for consumer rights and provides guidance to European lawmakers.

App Store vs EU Feature 2
In regard to Apple, the BEUC outlines several ways that the company's DMA compliance efforts fall short, but it is worth noting that Apple has addressed many of these issues in its most recent DMA updates, which will be implemented starting later in 2024.

  • Apple creates unnecessary steps to impede or deter users from switching to alternative app stores or downloading apps outside of the App Store.
  • Apple does not make it easy for consumers to change their default settings.
  • Apple's browser choice screen does not provide enough information for consumers to make an effective choice, and the choice screen is "confusing, complex and creates negative friction."
  • Apple uses non-neutral language to scare consumers away from choosing alternative payment services or subscribing to cheaper services outside of an app. This is in reference to the disclosure screens that Apple presents when consumers use alternative payments.
  • Apple does not allow end users to easily uninstall first-party apps, and while Safari can be deleted by the end of 2024, Apple was required to allow that feature by March.
  • Apple does not provide adequate compliance reports to the European Commission, and has delayed the implementation of some of its DMA measures, a "blatant violation" of the DMA.

Many of the DMA changes that Apple announced last month make the report outdated, and the BEUC does acknowledge that Apple plans to implement tweaks to its DMA compliance. The BEUC says that the "precise details" of Apple's changes "will need to be evaluated." The report is clearly of the opinion, however, that Apple is taking too long to implement these features. Most of the updates will be made before the end of the year, while some others won't be enabled until spring 2025. Here's what Apple changed to better comply with the DMA:

  • New default apps will be able to be set for phone calls, messaging, password managers, keyboards, navigation, translation, and call spam filters.
  • There is a new Default Apps section in the Settings app, which specifically addresses one of the complaints in the BEUC's report. It was confusing to consumers to have to go to the "Safari" settings to manage a non-Safari default browser.
  • Safari, ‌App Store‌, Messages, Camera, and Photos apps will be able to be deleted.
  • The browser selection screen shown to consumers at setup will include a description about the browser, an option to set a default right from the screen, and a requirement to scroll all the way down before choosing a browser.
  • When a default browser that is not Safari is selected, that browser's icon will replace Safari's icon on the Home Screen or Dock.

For other tech companies, the BEUC targeted Meta's cross-service ads and messaging interoperability, Google's self-preferencing in search results and personal data use across services, Amazon's self-preferencing and difficulty unsubscribing from services, TikTok's personal data consent implementation, and Microsoft's customer consent screen for the use of data across services.

The European Commission will likely take the recommendations from the BEUC into account when taking further action on the way tech companies are complying with the Digital Markets Act. The report says that it is not an exhaustive assessment of compliance with every provision of the DMA, and is instead focused on issues relevant to consumers. Apple's fees for developers, for example, would not fall under the scope of the report, so the company could also face changes to its DMA compliance in areas not mentioned here.

Popular Stories

ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

John Gruber Says 'Something is Rotten' at Apple

Wednesday March 12, 2025 7:39 pm PDT by
Daring Fireball's John Gruber today shared some strongly-worded comments about Apple's delayed personalized Siri features. Gruber is a well-known Apple pundit who has been writing about the company for more than two decades. In a blog post titled "Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino," Gruber said Apple's credibility has been "damaged" by the delay:Keynote by keynote, product by...
Apple Maps vs Google Maps Feature

iOS 18.4 Adds a Highly-Requested Setting to iPhones — But Not in U.S.

Wednesday March 12, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
iPhones are finally getting a much-requested setting, but availability is limited. The upcoming iOS 18.4 update introduces an option to set a default navigation app, other than Apple Maps, but unfortunately this new setting is limited to users in the EU. There, you can now set an app like Google Maps or Waze as your default navigation app on the iPhone by opening the Settings app and tapping ...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Will Bring Biggest Design Overhaul Since iOS 7

Monday March 10, 2025 12:17 pm PDT by
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience. Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Machined Parts Leak Reflects Camera Redesign Rumors

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:07 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to feature a significant design overhaul, and a new image apparently taken on an assembly line for the unreleased devices appears to confirm the biggest rumored change. Render of an iPhone 17 Pro model shared by Jon Prosser The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to adopt a horizontal camera bar reminiscent of Google's Pixel...
Sad Siri Feature

Kuo: Apple Knows Apple Intelligence is 'Underwhelming' and Won't Drive iPhone Upgrades

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:32 am PDT by
The Apple Intelligence features that Apple introduced with iOS 18 are not pushing people to upgrade their iPhones, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated today. Apple's recent Siri failures are also going to have an impact on 2025 iPhone shipments, which the market is beginning to realize. As early as last July, Kuo said expectations that Apple Intelligence could drive iPhone upgrades were...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired

Major macOS 16 Redesign to Bring Biggest Changes Since Big Sur

Wednesday March 12, 2025 2:28 am PDT by
Apple is planning a radical redesign of macOS with version 16, and it could be the most significant visual refresh since macOS Big Sur was introduced in 2020, according to Bloomberg. MacRumors concept render The upcoming Mac operating system will reportedly be part of Apple's sweeping effort to create a more consistent interface across all of its platforms, including iPhone, iPad, and Apple...

Top Rated Comments

Jamie0003 Avatar
7 months ago
“Oh no! Won’t somebody please defend/think of the trillion dollar corporations!”

This forum, every single EU article
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Account25476 Avatar
7 months ago
Just the fact that if you want to do a cloud backup, you MUST use iCloud (with only 5GB of free storage, not per device but per Apple ID) is something that should end in 2024.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
surferfb Avatar
7 months ago

I think it's a great idea to force the user to scroll all the way down of the browser selection popup, because otherwise they'll just pick the first option and that would be unfair competition!
The fact that the EU thinks a browser choice screen is needed when you can already change the defaults is overregulation at its finest.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
breenmask Avatar
7 months ago
DMA is pure trash. What an absolute headache for consumers and developers.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
surferfb Avatar
7 months ago
Complaining that the browser choice screen is confusing AND should provide more information is *chef's kiss*
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
breenmask Avatar
7 months ago

Agree, I don't understand why so many people forget that corporations take decisions in their own interests while politicians take decisions in the interest of the people / consumers.
"Please accept these cookies" popup x 100 times a day.

wow, consumers are so happy with this EU decision.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)