Brussels is once again intensifying its stance toward Apple: the EU has identified a number of problems at Apple that it classifies as “very serious,” EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager reported on Tuesday. told CNBC. She was “very surprised” that such suspicions of irregular behaviour on the part of the company had been raised.
Advertisement
Since March, Apple and other IT giants classified as gatekeepers have had to comply with new guidelines. Apple has therefore opened up its iOS operating system in the EU to alternative app stores and sideloading, but has also set restrictions and new terms and conditions.
Action against Apple is the EU’s top priority
A lot of “good business” happens in the App Store and through payment systems, which is why Apple is “very important”, the competition commissioner said. Accordingly, the EU will implement the new rules with the “highest priority”. He expects the results of the ongoing investigation against Apple to be known soon.
It is currently unclear what complaints the regulators specifically want to raise against Apple. The EU is investigating several changes made by Apple to comply with Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules.. This includes, for example, whether developers and app providers can mention free subscriptions and cheaper purchase options on the web. Apple also charges a slightly lower commission on purchases on the web – If these come from links in the app.
Apple’s “core technology fee”, which has been controversial since its introduction and is billed based on app installations, has also been criticized since its introduction. After the points of complaint are published, Apple has time to make improvements – or face very hefty penalties.
iOS 18: 13 most useful little things at a glanceLittle buzz on the new App Store
Relatively little has happened so far since iOS was forced open in March. Some alternative app stores are now availableBut often only for a limited audience. Apparently Apple is actively blocking the distribution of other apps here tooWhich have been stuck in the manufacturer’s testing process for weeks. It seems that Apple still doesn’t want some apps like Virtualizer on its platform – This hardly seems compatible with the DMA rules. App sales via sideloading have not yet been detected; the barriers are clearly too high;
Now there seems to be a stir in the iPhone wallet: Apple and the EU may possibly agree on the terms for releasing the iPhone’s NFC interface, As the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Apple has announced that it will also allow other banking apps and wallets to use NFC for payment transactions. This has been reserved for Apple Pay so far and has been classified as anti-competitive by the EU.
,lbe,
Apple Intelligence: MDM provider Jamf seeks shutdown option
