There European Commission has made the first results of the preliminary investigation into the compliance of theApple App Store with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). We remind you that the DMA is that set of rules that have been imposed at European level on companies active in the digital market with the aim of protecting competition.
The Commission concluded that Apple – and more precisely its App Store – violates the DMA. The specific reason is that it prevents store developers from freely directing consumers to alternative channels for offers and content. It is technically possible to create links to present promotions outside the App Store but the management of this system is very complex according to the Commission and this harms competition. Furthermore, Apple requires payment if the user purchases something through a link that leads to the outside, but it demands more than is allowed, given that the affiliation lasts seven days after the click.
The Commission therefore considers that this goes against the DMA. Apple can defend itselfbut if the Commission ultimately confirms its investigation, it will report an official allegation of “non-compliance” within 12 months of the start of its investigation (25 March 2024).
Apple’s 50 cent tax and the EU investigation
Furthermore, as we can read about the official site“the Commission has opened a new non-compliance proceeding against Apple over concerns that its new contractual requirements for app developers and third-party app stores, including Apple’s new “Core Technology Fee”, do not are able to ensure effective compliance with Apple’s obligations under the DMA.”
In this case we are talking about the fact that Apple provides a 50 cent fee for apps distributed through the App Store with each installation of that app after exceeding one million downloads in a year. For the moment the EU wants to verify that this does not violate the DMA, but has not reached a conclusion.
Let’s remember that Apple Intelligence is not available on older devices, but it is not a way to sell new iPhones, Apple says.
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