EU Plans to Fine Apple for Anticompetitive App Store Practices

The European Commission plans to fine Apple for not adequately complying with Digital Markets Act (DMA) requirements for the App Store, reports Bloomberg. Regulators apparently believe that Apple did not implement changes that allowed developers to steer users to cheaper prices outside of the ‌App Store‌.

Back in June, the EU said that Apple was in breach of the DMA due to its anti-steering rules. The European Commission said that developers should be able to inform their customers of alternative purchasing options, steer them to offers, and allow them to make purchases outside of the ‌App Store‌.

In August, Apple again changed its App Store rules in Europe to satisfy regulators. Apple began allowing EU developers to communicate and promote offers that would direct customers outside of the ‌App Store‌, and it marked a significant loosening of Apple's prior rules. Developers are able to communicate discounts and deals without opting into Apple's new developer terms or paying the Core Technology Fee, but Apple is requiring developers to report external purchase transactions and pay an initial acquisition fee and a store services fee.

It is not clear when the European Commission will announce the fine, but it could happen before current competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager leaves the position later this month. It could also be pushed back to later in the year, though.

Exactly how much Apple will have to pay is unknown at this time, but earlier this year, the EU fined Apple $2 billion for anticompetitive behavior against third-party music services. Under the DMA, the European Union can fine Apple up to 10 percent of its global annual sales.

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