Europe

The European Union has notified Apple that it may be violating EU anti-geo-blocking regulations with practices regarding its media services, giving the company one month to respond. The European Commission, in conjunction with the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network, today announced that it has formally notified Apple regarding potential breaches of the EU's anti-geo-blocking...

iPadOS is now under formal scrutiny by the European Commission to determine whether it complies with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The announcement by the European Commission marks the next step in its regulatory oversight of Apple, following the iPadOS designation as a "gatekeeper" platform in April 2024. The classification was part of a broader effort to apply the newly enforced DMA, ...

Apple today announced that Tap to Pay on iPhone is available in Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Romania, and Sweden, providing a way for independent sellers, small businesses, and larger merchants in these countries to use an ‌iPhone‌ as a contactless payment terminal. Tap to Pay first arrived in February 2022 in the US, and allows iPhones to accept payments via Apple Pay, contactless...

Yesterday we noted that the new iPad mini 7 does not come with a charger in the box when sold in European countries, and it turns out that the same now also applies to entry-level iPads sold by Apple across the continent. Since its release in 2022, Apple's most affordable iPad has come with a USB-C charger in Europe, but the debut of the new iPad mini on Tuesday would have left it as the...

Apple today continued with the launch of its annual "Back to School" promotion, debuting back to school deals in most countries in Europe, some countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Mexico. Higher education students and educators in the UK can get up to a £120 Apple gift card with the purchase of select Macs and iPads, which is a similar deal to the one that went live in the United States ...

As part of the changes introduced in Europe in iOS 17.4, Apple gave third-party payment apps and banks direct access to the NFC chip, allowing for non-Apple Pay tap-to-pay payment options. The European Commission is set to approve Apple's plan to open up tap-and-go mobile payments "as soon as next month," according to Reuters. With NFC access, banks and third-party payment apps can offer...

Apple Maps has expanded the availability of cycling routes in Europe by adding support for the countries of Austria, Belgium, and Sweden. Apple first added cycling directions to ‌Apple Maps‌ in iOS 14, providing specific directions for bike riders with bike lanes, bike paths, and bike-friendly routes that highlight steep inclines, stairs, and other obstacles. Elsewhere in Europe, ‌Apple...

Apple today clarified that iPhone users in the European Union can continue to update and use apps from alternative app marketplaces for a 30-day period when leaving the EU. With the release of iOS 17.4, Apple published a number of support documents, and one of the pages outlined what happens when an ‌iPhone‌ user with apps installed through an alternative app marketplace leaves the EU. At...

The European Commission today fined Apple €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) for anti-competitive conduct against rival music streaming services. In a response published on its website, Apple fiercely attacked the Commission's decision, as well as Spotify's behavior. The fine comes as the conclusion to a long-running investigation by the EU, triggered by a complaint from Spotify, into Apple's...

Apple has proposed opening its NFC payment technology to third-party developers in Europe, allowing direct rivals to Apple Pay to operate on the iPhone for the first time. Historically, the use of Apple's NFC chip in iPhones and Apple Watches for payments has been exclusively utilized by ‌Apple Pay‌, limiting the ability of banks and other financial services to offer their own contactless...

Google, Meta, Qualcomm, Nothing, Lenovo, Opera and several other tech companies have announced a collaborative effort to push for "open digital ecosystems" in what appears to be a pointed move against Apple (via Reuters). The group, calling itself the Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE), seeks to encourage more open platforms and systems in Europe. Other members include Motorola,...

Apple recently claimed that Safari is three different browsers in effort to avoid regulation in the European Union (via The Register). The claim came as part of a response to the European Union in August, just before the European Commission designated many of Apple's iOS, App Store, and Safari as gatekeeper platforms. This classification means that Apple now has to ensure that these...

Apple has announced an additional 1 billion euros investment in German engineering over the next six years as part of its Silicon Design Center expansion in central Munich. Apple says the investment will go towards the design and construction of a "state-of-the-art research facility" at Seidlstrasse, where Apple's R&D teams can "come together in new ways, enhancing collaboration and...

Following its new HomePod announcement on Wednesday, Apple has quietly bumped up the price of its HomePod mini in several European countries. In the European Union, Apple has added €10 to the original €99 price in Austria, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The price increase was spotted in France by iGeneration. The EU price rise now matches or approximately reflects the...

Apple today announced it has launched its self-service repair program in Europe, extending the program beyond the United States for the first time. Customers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK can now purchase genuine Apple parts, and consult repair manuals, through the Apple Self Service Repair Store. Apple says customers who wish to complete their own...

The European Union today gave final approval to legislation that will force technology companies like Apple to switch to USB-C across a wide range of devices. Outlined in an official press release, the European Council today gave the European Parliament's common charger directive approval, finalizing the legislative procedure that will make a USB-C port mandatory across a wide range of...

After what may have seemed like an endless wait for Sky customers in the U.K. and elsewhere across Europe, the Sky Go app is now available to download on Apple TV. The availability of the Sky Go app means that subscribers will be able to stream live Sky's broadcast content on their Apple TV HD and ‌Apple TV‌ 4K devices, rather than having to rely on Sky's set-top box or the equivalent app on ...

Amazon is increasing its Prime membership subscription prices across Europe in September by up to 43% a year, the company has announced just days before its Q2 earnings results. In an email to customers, Amazon said the annual Prime subscription price will increase by 20% in the United Kingdom from £79 to £95 from September 15. Customers in France will face a 43% increase from 49 euros...

European Union lawmakers have approved landmark legislation to heavily regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other big tech firms. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) were proposed by the European Commission in December 2020. Now, collected in a "Digital Services Package," the legislation has been formally adopted by the European Parliament and seeks to address...

The European Union has reached a landmark agreement to force a wide range of consumer electronics, including the iPhone and AirPods, to feature a USB-C port for charging by fall 2024. In a press release, the European Parliament's Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection announced that it has reached an agreement to introduce a law to make USB-C the common charging port across a...