Apple Met With DOJ Antitrust Chief in Bid to Head Off Antitrust Lawsuit

Apple representatives met with the U.S. Justice Department last week in a last ditch effort to persuade the agency not to file an antitrust suit against the company, according to Bloomberg.

iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue
Citing people familiar with the matter, the report states that Apple and its lawyers met with Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, who will have the final say on whether to file a suit.

Since 2019, the Justice Department has been looking into Apple's App Store business practices and whether iOS favors Apple's own apps and services over those provided by third-party developers and other companies.

The DOJ began by inquiring about Apple's App Store policies, and reportedly met with developers to learn more about the ‌App Store‌'s review process.

The department reportedly escalated its probe in early 2023 by assigning additional litigators to the case and requesting documents and consultations with companies connected to the investigation.

Apple has been accused of or investigated for anticompetitive practices in several other countries over the past few years, with many of the complaints related to the ‌App Store‌. Most recently, Apple announced major changes to the way the ‌App Store‌ and apps operate in the EU in order to comply with the bloc's inbound Digital Markets Act before March 7, and the DOJ has reportedly been monitoring these developments.

The DOJ is expected to make its first legal move in the coming weeks, likely by the end of March, according to Bloomberg's sources, potentially leaving Apple facing an antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. government.

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

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...
top stories 2025 04 26

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Air Rumors, Apple Watch Turns 10, and More

Saturday April 26, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
We've known for quite some time about Apple's plans for a thinner "iPhone 17 Air" coming later this year, but wow, the latest dummy models give us our best look yet at just how thin this phone is going to be. Other Apple news and rumors this week included another iOS 18.5 beta, the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, and more management reshuffling in Apple's Siri division, so read...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...

Top Rated Comments

WiiDSmoker Avatar
15 months ago
APPLE SHOULD LEAVE THE USA
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
15 months ago

APPLE SHOULD LEAVE THE USA
The DOJ should build their own smartphone if they don't like it.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
freediverx00 Avatar
15 months ago
I have mixed feelings about all this. We have a huge problem with a handful of oversized companies trapping users on their “platforms” and then stifling innovation and competition. But I have little faith in government bureaucrats’ ability to properly address the problem without making it worse for consumers and small competitors.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tazinlwfl Avatar
15 months ago
Crazy how iPhone and the ecosystem was thriving and fostering entire new economies, started out without an App Store at all, and launched with policies that have remained consistent (albeit loosened over the years) including the 30/70 revenue sharing, but NOW it’s a problem because… they were too successful in building up the platform? Now they have to tear it down and cut off a revenue stream that literally funds the development and support of a core, marketable feature of the ecosystem: the App Store? lol insane.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ahmamies Avatar
15 months ago
That stupid EU up to no good again. Oh, wait.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t0rqx Avatar
15 months ago
they don't care about no anticompetitive , they want some piece of that apple treasure chest.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)