France

Apple has been fined €150 million ($162 million) by France's Competition Authority over the implementation of its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework (via Bloomberg). The French regulator concluded that the way Apple deployed its ATT feature constitutes an abuse of market dominance, finding that the system unnecessarily complicated the process for users to opt out of tracking and...

Apple has acquired the Paris-based artificial intelligence startup Datakalab amid its push to deliver on-device AI tools. Datakalab specializes in algorithm compression and embedded AI systems. The acquisition, finalized on December 17 last year, was quietly conducted but noted in a European Commission filing spotted by French publication Challenges (via iPhoneSoft). While the financial...

Apple has announced Tap to Pay on iPhone in France, allowing independent sellers, small merchants, and large retailers in the country to use ‌iPhones‌ as a payment terminal. Tap to Pay first arrived in February 2022 in the US, and allows iPhones to accept payments via Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets‌‌‌. All transactions are encrypted, and...

Apple today said that the upcoming iOS 17.1 software that is set to be released later in October will lower iPhone 12 radiation levels. France in September ordered Apple to cease ‌iPhone‌ 12 sales and implement a "fix" for devices that would bring them into compliance with European electromagnetic radiation standards. Apple in a support document said that it is disabling the off-body...

Apple has had its software update for iPhone 12 devices in France approved by regulators, after the country threatened to suspend sales of the phones earlier this month due to radiation levels (via Reuters). In early September, France ordered Apple to halt ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 12 sales and "fix" existing devices to bring them into electromagnetic radiation compliance with European standards. The...

Apple said on Friday it would issue a software update for iPhone 12 users in France to address radiation concerns raised by the country's regulators (via Reuters). "We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators. We look forward to iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France," Apple said in a statement. "This is related to a...

France on Tuesday ordered Apple to halt iPhone 12 sales and "fix" existing devices over fears the devices emit too much electromagnetic radiation (via France24). The French agency that regulates radio frequencies, the ANFR, said on its website that testing found the ‌iPhone‌ 12 emits more electromagnetic waves susceptible to be absorbed by the body than permitted. The ANFR ordered Apple...

Apple Watch's Running Track Detection feature has gone live in France and the Netherlands, according to French tech blog WatchGeneration. With Track Detection, the Apple Watch uses an Apple Maps database and GPS to automatically detect when you step on to an outdoor running track. In the Workout app, you can select which lane of the track you are running in and receive more accurate...

Apple TV+ will be made available to every Canal+ subscriber in France at no extra cost from April 20, Apple has announced. The move means millions of Canal+ customers will soon be able to access TV+ content directly on their existing set-top box – no separate app or subscription necessary. "I've long admired Canal+ and their commitment to high-quality programming, so we couldn't be more...

French regulators today fined Apple €8 million for breaching France's data protection rules with targeted App Store ads. France's National Commission for Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) says that Apple did not get the consent of French iPhone users before using identifiers to present targeted ads in the iOS 14.6 update. Apple was collecting information and using that data for ads by default,...

The French Commercial Court in Paris today fined Apple $1 million for abusive App Store practices, reports Reuters. Apple imposed unfair commercial clauses on French app developers for access to the ‌App Store‌, according to the ruling. The decision is the result of a multi-year investigation by France's consumer affairs and fraud watchdog (DGCCRF), overseen by the French ministry of...

Apple today announced the expansion of Emergency SOS via Satellite and Find My via satellite functionality to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Ireland. iPhone 14 users can now connect with emergency services when cellular and Wi-Fi coverage are not available, and calls from the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will be routed to local emergency services facilities. Apple's...

The iPhone 14 lineup's Emergency SOS via satellite and Find My via satellite features will launch in four additional countries next month, Apple today announced. In its press release announcing that Emergency SOS and ‌Find My‌ via satellite for the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models will roll out later today, Apple mentioned that the feature will be coming to France, Germany, Ireland,...

Apple has confirmed it no longer provides customers with complimentary EarPods in the box with every iPhone sold in France, citing the environmental benefits of having a thinner ‌iPhone‌ box thanks to the lack of a charger and earphones. In an update on Apple's French website, the company no longer states that EarPods will be included in the box for any of its iPhones. Apple now lists only...

Apple will no longer include EarPods with every iPhone sold in France, starting on January 24, according to a notice posted by a French carrier (via iGeneration). Apple was previously required to include EarPods in the box with the ‌iPhone‌ due to a French law that required every smartphone sold in the country to come with a "handsfree kit," but the law has now been changed in favor of reducing...

Apple is today celebrating 40 years in France and announced the launch of a new Apple Music studio in Paris. In a post on its French newsroom site, Apple highlighted its achievements in France over the past 40 years, aiding artists, designers, and developers in particular. Apple CEO Tim Cook said:France occupies a special place in my heart. Every time I go there, I am inspired by this...

All four iPhone 13 models still ship with EarPods in the box in France due to a law in the country that requires all smartphones to include a "hands-free kit" in order to protect children under 14 years of age from potential electromagnetic radiation. Photo shared by MacRumors forum member Recklessss Apple's website in France confirms the inclusion of EarPods with a Lightning connector with...

Apple is once again closing all of its retail locations in France due to the ongoing health crisis, the first time since last year where all 20 locations have been closed, MacGeneration reports. France currently remains on heightened alert due to the pandemic, with some regions under stricter lockdowns than others. The majority of Apple Stores in the country have remained closed, while...

Apple will face a French antitrust probe into its upcoming App Tracking Transparency feature, following a complaint from advertisers in the country that the planned changes are anticompetitive. Starting in iOS 14.5, Apple will require apps to get opt-in permission from users to collect their random advertising identifier, which advertisers use to deliver personalized ads and track how...

Apple is to be investigated by France's data-protection watchdog following allegations that the company's personalized advertising feature violates European Union data protection and e-privacy rules (via Bloomberg). The National Commission on Informatics and Liberty, known as "CNIL," is France's regulator that oversees privacy and data. CNIL is now examining antitrust allegations from...