Apple has not had it easy in Europe in recent years. Thanks to the permanent regulations of the European Union, many of the policies had to give way to support the freedom of consumers in Europe. One of the most famous examples is the change from the lightning port to USB-C as a universal measure, and another important way is related to the possibility of downloading applications outside the application store.
But that’s not all. Since 2015, Spotify has been accused of abusing other streaming music platforms’ rules on the App Store. After a long road of more than 65 meetings between the participants, it was decided that Apple would be fined 1.8 billion euros after being found guilty of the aforementioned charges.
Apple will have to pay a fine of 1.8 billion euros thanks to the trial by Spotify
We fined Apple for abusing app store rules against music streaming providers.
Press release by Executive Vice President @vestager ↓
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) March 4, 2024
The European Commission has ruled that Apple clearly controls the user experience when using its devices. This includes your direct interaction with the Apps. Meanwhile, on the part of developers who want to add their apps to the App Store, they face terms and conditions that hurt them.
Based on the results of the experiment, it was concluded that Apple somehow prevented the developers of distributing music applications from reaching users through other sources. This means that in their own way, apps like Spotify are prevented from notifying their users about cheaper subscription services from other sources. The most important thing for the European Commission is in this regard, especially since Apple does not allow clear instructions on how to register for such offers.
The €1,800 million fine corresponds to 0.5% of the company’s profits in 2023 (over €350,000 million). Apple also alleged that the company wanted to earn more from the App Store and that the App Store did not provide the platform with any payment in order to promote itself from its popular library. The emphasis is on the residency of Spotify (Switzerland) and the “arrangement” with the European Commission.
In any case, the penalty is now official and Apple must pay the established. With the App Store likely to cease to be the only source for downloading applications on iOS, it is clear that the Cupertino giant’s policy of exclusivity in Europe will soon be over.
