Today, the EU's antitrust authorities honed in on Apple, claiming that its App Store policies, which forbid developers from advising customers of other purchase options, violate the EU's laws against unfair commercial practises.
The European Commission, which serves as the executive arm of the European Union, which is composed of 27 nations, has dismissed a previous complaint that was directed at Apple's guidelines requiring developers to utilise its proprietary in-app payment mechanism.
According to the EU competition watchdog, Apple's allegedly "anti-steering obligations" for developers are "neither necessary nor proportionate for the provision of the App Store on iPhones and iPads and that they are detrimental to users of music streaming services on Apple's mobile devices who may end up paying more."
Apple stated that it would address the regulator's concerns and expressed satisfaction with the Commission's decision to restrict the case.
Spotify brought the legal action, alleging that Apple unfairly barred competitors from using its own music streaming service, Apple Music, on iPhones.
As a result, the Commission opened an investigation and filed charges against Apple regarding its anti-steering system and in-app payment system in April 2021.
The statement of objections, or charge sheet, issued today, according to the Commission, will take the place of the 2021 document. The Reuters