“The Commission is also concerned that Apple applies certain restrictions on app developers preventing them from informing iPhone and iPad users of alternative, cheaper purchasing possibilities.”
“The Commission takes issue with the mandatory use of Apple’s own in-app purchase mechanism imposed on music streaming app developers to distribute their apps via Apple’s App Store,” it wrote. This is also a market where Apple competes, with its eponymous offering (Apple Music).
But today’s charges relate only to music streaming apps, and the App Store’s role as a gatekeeper for such apps to access iOS users. The Commission begun investigating competition concerns related to iOS App Store (and also Apple Pay) last summer.
The European Commission has issued a formal ‘statement of objections’ against Apple, saying today that its preliminary view is Apple’s app store rules distort competition in the market for music streaming services by raising the costs of competing music streaming app developers.Īpple has a period of 12 weeks to respond to the preliminary charges.
