European Union
By MacRumors Staff
European Union Guides
The EU Wants All Phones to Work With Interoperable Chargers, Here’s What That Means for Apple's Lightning Port
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...
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European Union Articles
EU to Appeal Against Apple's $15 Billion Tax Bill Ruling
The European Commission on Friday said it would appeal a court ruling that overturned its demand that Apple pay 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in tax to the Irish government (via CNBC).
"The Commission has decided to appeal before the European Court of Justice the General Court's judgment of July 2020 on the Apple State aid case in Ireland," Margrethe Vestager, the head of competition policy...
Recent Hints Point Toward Apple Card International Expansion
Over a year after its U.S. launch, MacRumors has uncovered a range of evidence to suggest that Apple Card may soon be launching internationally.
A source claiming to be close to an unnamed Australian banking corporation involved in supporting Apple Card in Australia tells MacRumors that Apple Card will be launching in multiple new regions as soon as the end of this year. The tip...
Encrypted Messaging App Telegram Files Antitrust Complaint Against Apple With EU
Apple is facing another antitrust complaint in Europe, this time from the developers of encrypted messaging app Telegram. In a complaint to the EU Commission, the app's creators argue that Apple must give iOS users the opportunity to download software outside of the App Store. The Financial Times reports:
In a complaint to EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager, Telegram, which has more...
Apple Wins Backing of EU General Court Over 13 Billion Euro Tax Bill
The EU General Court today overturned a ruling by the European Commission stating that Apple should pay 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in tax to the Irish government.
The court sided with Apple, and said the EU authority, led by antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, had failed to show Ireland's tax arrangements with the company were illegal state aid. Today's decision can be appealed. Both ...
EU Advertisers Criticize New App Tracking Privacy Controls in iOS 14
A Google-backed group of European digital advertising associations has criticized Apple for requiring apps in iOS 14 to seek additional permission from users before tracking them across other apps and websites, reports Reuters.
Sixteen marketing associations, some of which are backed by Facebook and Alphabet's Google, faulted Apple for not adhering to an ad-industry system for seeking user...
EU Announces Investigations into App Store In-App Purchase Rules and Apple Pay
The European Commission today said it has opened two formal antitrust investigations into Apple's App Store and Apple Pay mobile payment system.
The first investigation will assess whether Apple's rules for app developers on the distribution of apps via the App Store violate EU competition rules. It will focus in particular on the mandatory use of Apple's own in-app purchases system...
Apple Faces New EU Antitrust Complaint Over 30% App Store Commission Rate
Apple is facing another European antitrust complaint, this time over its 30 percent cut on ebooks in the App Store. The complaint was made to the European Commission by Rakuten's Kobo subsidiary, which alleges that Apple's commission rate is anti-competitive when it also promotes its own Apple Books service.
According to a Financial Times report, Kobo argues that having to pay Apple 30...
Tile Writes to EU Accusing Apple of Abuse of Power
Bluetooth accessory maker Tile has written to the European Union accusing Apple of abuse of power and of illegally favoring its own products.
According to a report by Financial Times, in a letter sent on Tuesday to the European Commissioner for Competition, the accessory maker said that Apple is making it harder for users to use Tile products on iPhone because it has its own rival Find My...
Irish Regulators 'in Contact' With Apple Over Siri Quality Control Program
Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) is "in contact" with Apple after a former Apple contractor asked the DPC to investigate Apple's practice of allowing employees to listen to Siri recordings, reports Reuters.
The contractor, Thomas Le Bonniec, requested the assistance of the DPC in May and called for greater protection under the EU's privacy laws.
DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham...
Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Contact Tracing API Available From April 28
Following a conference call with Apple CEO Tim Cook, EU industry leader Thierry Breton has said in a statement that Apple has a "responsibility" to make sure that contact tracing apps work on its iPhones, reports Reuters. Image via @ThierryBreton It is "the responsibility of companies such as Apple to do their utmost to develop suitable technical solutions to make the national apps work....
Disney+ to Launch Across Europe This Week With Reduced Streaming Quality, Launch in France Delayed
Disney's premium streaming service, Disney+, will launch across Europe on Tuesday with temporarily degraded video quality, according to Reuters. The measure aims to reduce the burden on the continent's data networks as millions of people switch to working from home. In a company statement, Disney said it had agreed to a European Union request for streaming-video providers to "ensure the...
Netflix Reduces Streaming Video Quality in Europe to Lower Data Usage and Ease Strain on Broadband Networks
Netflix has complied with a request from the European Union to lower its streaming video quality in Europe to ease network strain from the millions of people working from home.
According to the BBC, Netflix is reducing video quality in Europe for the next 30 days. Netflix says that the change will reduce data consumption by 25 percent, but that viewers will still be satisfied with picture...
EU Lawmakers Vote Overwhelmingly in Favor of Common Charging Standard, Despite Apple's Protestations [Updated]
Despite criticism from Apple, EU lawmakers on Thursday voted overwhelmingly in favor for new rules to establish a common charger for all mobile device makers across Europe (via Reuters).
Members of the European Parliament voted by 582-40 for a resolution urging the European Commission, which drafts EU laws, to ensure that EU consumers are no longer obliged to buy new chargers with each new...
European Lawmakers Want to Force All Smartphones to Have Same Charging Port, Apple Defends Lightning
With goals of reducing waste and increasing convenience, European lawmakers today will debate whether all smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices should have a standardized charging port such as USB-C.
At least some members of the European Parliament want "binding measures" that ensure one type of charger is compatible with all portable devices, as the European Commission's previous...
Austrian Privacy Watchdog NOYB Accuses Apple and Others of Failing to Comply With GDPR in Europe
Austrian non-profit organization NOYB, the "European Center for Digital Rights," has reportedly filed a complaint against Apple and seven other tech companies for allegedly failing to comply with GDPR in the European Union.
NOYB said it tested each company's compliance with GDPR by requesting private data held about 10 users and found that "no service fully complied."
"Many services set...
Apple Turns Down Invite to EU Hearing on Tax Evasion Because it Could Be 'Detrimental' to Appeal Process
As Apple continues to face a legal battle with the European Commission concerning the regulator's claim that Apple received illegal state aid from Ireland and owes billions in back taxes, the latest development has seen the Cupertino company decline an invitation to testify before a special committee on the tax evasion claims (via Reuters).
According to a letter to the European Parliament share...
Apple Wins EU Trademark Case Against Xiaomi and its 'Mi Pad' Tablet
Apple Tuesday won the right to prevent Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi from registering its "Mi Pad" mobile tablet device as an EU trademark because the name has been deemed too similar to Apple's iPad (via Reuters).
The General Court, the European Union's second highest, ruled that registering Mi Pad as a trademark was not in the public interest, as consumers were likely to be confused by the ...
EU Proposes Enforcing Data Encryption and Banning Backdoors
The European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs has published draft proposals that would enforce end-to-end encryption on all digital communications and forbid backdoors that enable law enforcement to access private message data. The proposed amendment relates to Article 7 of the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, which says that EU citizens have a right to...
Mobile Roaming Charges Abolished in the EU
A new European Union law came into effect on Thursday that abolishes roaming charges for people using mobile phones abroad. The new rules mean that EU citizens traveling within the EU that call, text, and browse the internet on their mobile devices will be charged the same price they pay in their home country.
Previously, roaming charges were added to the cost of calls, SMS messages, and web ...
U.K. Surveillance Powers Are 'Illegal', Rules E.U.'s Highest Court
The European Union's highest court has ruled that the "general and indiscriminate retention" of electronic communications by governments is illegal, in a direct challenge to the U.K.'s recently passed Investigatory Powers Act, the so-called "Snooper's Charter" (via The Guardian).
The U.K. bill requires that internet service providers retain a record of all websites visited by citizens for 12...
