The EU says Apple abused its dominant market position by not informing iOS users about cheaper music subscription services outside the App Store.
“For a decade, Apple abused its dominant position in the market for the distribution of music streaming apps through the App Store,” said Margrethe Vestager, the Commission’s executive vice president in charge of competition policy. “They did so by restricting developers from informing consumers about alternative, cheaper music services outside the Apple ecosystem. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules, so today we have fined Apple over €1.8 billion.”
Being the sole provider of the App Store for iOS users gives Apple control over all aspects of the iOS experience, and the EC found the company’s level of control to be outright restrictive and in violation of the European Union’s (EU) anti-steering provisions.
Apple contradicted the EC’s decision, noting that Spotify met with the Commission more than 65 times during this investigation. Apple defended its App Store review process and commission structure, calling them fair and applicable equally to all developers. It noted that many services, including music streaming, can avoid commission fees by selling subscriptions outside the App Store.
