Apple Becomes 1st Company Charged With Violating EU’s Digital Markets Act Rules

European Union (EU) regulators on Monday opened a new investigation into Apple’s support for alternative iOS marketplaces in Europe under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), adding that the App Store’s “steering” policies violate the DMA meant to encourage competition.

Margrethe Vestager, who heads competition policy in Europe, said their preliminary position is that Apple does not fully allow steering.

“Steering is key to ensure that app developers are less dependent on gatekeepers’ app stores and for consumers to be aware of better offers,” she said in a statement.

The EU regulators said they are concerned as Apple’s new business model makes it too hard for app developers to operate as alternative marketplaces and reach their end users on iOS.

“We will look into Apple’s new business model – the commercial terms Apple imposes on app developers who want to reach end users on the iOS platform,” said the regulators.

The regulators also said that they have adopted their first preliminary findings in a case of non-compliance.

“And it is again about Apple. About the many ways in which their new terms fall short of the DMA requirements regarding steering users to options outside the Apple App Store. As they stand, we think that these new terms do not allow app developers to communicate freely with their end users, and to conclude contracts with them,” they added.