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Apple On Thursday, its app store changed European policies, saying that the new rules will help the company to escape. 500 million euro fine From the European Union to violate the Digital Markets Act ($ 585 million).
New policies are a complex system of fees and programs for app manufacturers, some developers are now paying three different fees for a download. Apple is also going to introduce a new set of rules for all app developers in Europe, including a fee called “Core Technology Commission” of 5% on all digital purchases made outside the app store.
The changes made by Apple do not have a complete departure from the company’s previous policy, which took the attention of the European Commission to the first place.
Apple said he did not want to make changes, but was forced by the rules of the European Commission, threatening a fine of up to 50 million euros per day. Apple said that it believes that its plan is in compliance with DMA and it will avoid the fine.
“The European Commission needs Apple to create a series of additional changes in the app store,” an Apple spokesman said in a statement. “We disagree with this result and plan to appeal.”
A spokesperson of the European Commission did not say that Apple was no longer under the fine. He said in a statement that EC is looking at Apple’s new terms whether the company is in compliance.
The spokesperson said in a statement, “As part of this evaluation, the Commission considers the ideas of market operators and interested third parties especially important before deciding on the next stages.”
The latest example of the saga Apple in Brussels is defending its app store policies, a major source of profit for the iPhone manufacturer is through fees between 15% and 30% on the download through its app store.
It also shows that Apple continues to claim that this is a commission when the iPhone apps have recently linked the websites for digital purchase despite a court verdict, which has stopped practice in America
Steering rules are no longer effective in us
Under the Digital Markets Act, Apple required app developers to allow more options to allow them to distribute and promote their apps. In particular, developers are no longer banned from telling their users about the cheap option of Apple’s app store, a practice called “steering” by regulators.
In early 2024, apple Announced its changesWith 50 percent fee on off-platform app download.
Critics, including Sweden’s Spotify, pushed back on Apple’s proposed changes, saying that the tech firm chose an approach, which violated the spirit of rules, and challenges the feasibility of the alternative billing system. The European Commission investigated for a year, and said on Thursday that it would again seek a response from Apple’s critics.
“From the beginning, Apple became clear that he did not like the idea of following DMA,” Spotify said last year.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeny, whose company successfully replaced Apple’s steering rules in the US earlier this year, accused Apple since last year “Malicious compliance“In his perspective to DMA. Sweeni said that Apple wanted to follow the letter of law, but it became difficult for developers to benefit from changes.
European Commission Announced A fine of 500 million euros in April. At that time, the Commission said that the tech company may still be able to make changes to avoid fines.
Following a court order in the long -running epic sports case, Apple sanctions on steering in the United States were thrown earlier this year. A judge in California found Apple deliberately misled the court about its steering concessions in the United States and directed that it should immediately stop charging fees or commission for external downloads.
Is order Is currently effective In the United States because this appeal is being made and has already shifted the economics of app development. As a result, companies like Amazon and Spotify in the US can direct customers to their websites and avoid 15% to 30% commission of Apple.
In America, Amazon’s iPhone Kindle App Now shows an orange “gate book” button that links Amazon.com,
This braking news story is being updated.
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