Apple has been fined €1.8bn (£1.5bn) by the EU following an investigation into restrictions its App Store placed on music streaming providers such as Spotify.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, imposed the penalty after finding that the iPhone maker had breached competition law by imposing restrictions on app developers.
The investigation was launched in response to a complaint from Spotify and focused on restrictions that prevent developers from telling iPhone and iPad users an alternative way to subscribe to the music streaming service, bypassing Apple.
Spotify claims the restrictions will benefit Apple’s rival music streaming service, Apple Music.
Spotify and other app providers have long criticized Apple’s App Store, arguing that it stifles competition by charging 30% fees on apps and in-app purchases.
However, Apple has decided to allow EU customers to download apps to their iPhones outside of the App Store in response to the introduction of the Trade Area’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which was introduced to regulate big tech companies such as Apple. announced plans to do so. , Microsoft and Mark Zuckerberg meta.
The DMA, introduced by the European Union last year, is aimed at clearing the way for more competition and removing gatekeeping powers in some of tech companies’ most closely guarded areas, such as Apple Wallet and Google Pay. .
Tech companies have been given six months since last August to comply with a complete list of dos and don’ts under the new law, after which they face fines of up to 10% of their turnover. may be imposed. For Meta, this would be 10% of $120bn (£95bn).
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