Sources: the EU has determined that Apple's anti-steering rules for developers do not comply with the DMA, and plans charges against Apple in the coming weeks
Two things happened this week. Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) … Thomas Claburn / The Register : European Commission may be about to put the squeeze on Apple for its App Store rules Chance Miller / 9to5Mac : Report: EU set to fine Apple for failing to comply with the DMA Jay Peters / The Verge : Apple and Meta could face charges for violating EU tech rules Rimjhim Singh New Delhi / Business Standard : Apple, Meta platforms likely to face charges for violating EU digital law PYMNTS.com : Apple's App Store, Meta's AI Assistant Face Challenges in Europe Akash Pandey / NewsBytes : EU may charge Apple, Meta for breaching tech regulations Omar Moharram / Supercharged : Apple could soon be penalized by the EU for violating Digital Markets Act Foo Yun Chee / Reuters : Sources: the EU plans to charge Meta under the DMA, focusing on its pay or consent model where users pay a subscription for an ad-free Facebook and Instagram Thom Holwerda / OSnews : Apple set to be first big tech group to face charges under EU digital law Arthur Brown / Android Headlines : The Eu could fine Meta and Apple for different reasons Philip Elmer‑DeWitt : FT: EU expected to slap Apple with app store charges within weeks Rachael Rajan / Investing.com : Apple to face charges under EU digital markets act - FT Nehal Malik / iPhone in Canada Blog : Apple Facing Charges Under EU's DMA: Report Thomas Barrabi / New York Post : Apple to reportedly face EU charges for stifling competition with App Store policy Alan Friedman / PhoneArena : Apple reportedly faces billions in fines for failing to comply with Europe's Digital Markets Act Taylor Lyles / IGN : Apple May Face Charges in EU Under the Digital Markets Act Charles Fitzgerald / Platformonomics : Platformonomics TGIF #54: June 14, 2024 Livemint : Apple to face major charges over App Store monopoly: What we know so far Connor Jewiss / iMore : Apple looks set to be one of the first charged by the EU under the new Digital Markets law Emma Roth / The Verge : Apple could soon face charges in the EU over its App Store policy. William Gallagher / AppleInsider : EU is reportedly going to fine Apple over failure to comply with the Digital Markets Act MacDailyNews : Apple reportedly set to face EU charges under Digital Markets Act regulations Threads: @eshumarneedi : If I were Apple, I'd just disregard the DMA rules entirely and let the rogue European Commission levy whatever fines it wants because anyway, no matter what Apple does, the commissioners are going to find *something* to fine Apple for. They're proud of what they're doing and no amount of work Apple can do will change that. Mastodon: Bruce Lawson / @brucelawson@social.vivaldi.net : FT: Apple set to be first Big Tech group to face charges under EU digital law. “An announcement over the charges against Apple was expected in the coming weeks, said two people with knowledge of the case. … X: Kay Jebelli / @kayjebelli : Dollars to donuts, these are EC people leaking, unfortunately. This Commission has serially prosecuted cases in public instead of undertaking objective investigations. “Geopolitical Commission”. It's harshly criticised when others do the same, and yet it continues. [image] @openwebadvocacy : “Brussels is set to charge Apple over allegedly stifling competition on its mobile app store, the first time EU regulators have used new digital rules to target a Big Tech group” Let's hope the fines are big enough to trigger a change. https://arstechnica.com/... Florian Mueller / @florian4gamers : The EU is going to assert a DMA violation by Apple because of its steering rules and the commission it charges. Note that this is also an issue with respect to the Spotify decision that the EU Commission made under traditional antitrust law. Apple will argue its fees are FRAND: fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory. Kontra / @counternotions : These beatings will continue until Apple pays Spotify/Epic/randos/etc for the privilege of distributing their apps to billions of users, because logic. Seems legit to me. Ryan Jones / @rjonesy : Oh snap! EU thinks Apple is not complying with DMA anti-steering rules. Reminder: The EU *itself* leaks to FT Fine is $50M per DAY 🍿💥 https://www.ft.com/... Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi : The EU does not approve approaches to regulation even though the company announces intents and provides details. Rather vendors keep guessing and then this. Also, before vendors find out they announce it to the TImes “according to three people with close knowledge.” [image] Forums: Hacker News : Apple set to be first Big Tech group to face charges under EU digital law r/anime_titties : Brussels is set to charge Apple over allegedly stifling competition on its mobile app store Msmash / Slashdot : Apple Set To Be First Big Tech Group To Face Charges Under EU Digital Law Ars OpenForum : Apple set to be first Big Tech group to face charges under EU digital law MacRumors Forums : EU Reportedly Planning to Charge Apple for Violating Digital Markets Act
Context & Ripple Effects
The reported enforcement step follows the Commission's March formal DMA probe into Apple’s developer steering terms, moving scrutiny from whether Apple’s revised App Store rules met the law toward a potential finding of noncompliance.
The dispute centers on whether developers can meaningfully direct customers to alternatives outside Apple’s store while still operating under its terms—a key test of criticisms that Apple’s DMA changes preserved new fees and restrictions.
First-order effects
- Apple faces a near-term enforcement risk over its anti-steering rules, with its developer terms and related fee structure subject to direct Commission scrutiny.
- Developers gain a stronger basis to challenge limits on communicating or transacting with users outside the App Store, though the reported charges are not yet a final remedy.
Second-order effects
- Apple may need to revise the practical conditions attached to external purchase links, potentially changing how developers weigh App Store distribution against alternative payment or sales channels.
- Other DMA-designated platforms will read the case as an early signal that formal compliance measures can still be challenged when regulators judge their commercial effect to be too restrictive.
Third-order effects
- If enforcement focuses on the economic substance of steering rather than the availability of a nominal link-out option, DMA compliance will increasingly test platform pricing and contract design, not just interface changes.
- The case could establish a more interventionist model for governing app-distribution gatekeepers, with remedies likely to shape the balance between platform control and developer access across Europe.
The trend: The DMA is shifting EU oversight from headline commitments by gatekeeper platforms to enforcement over whether those commitments create genuinely usable competitive alternatives.