Apple faces a fine as well as a ban on App Store rules it allegedly used to thwart music-streaming rivals, in the European Union’s latest crackdown on Big Tech, reports Bloomberg.
EU regulators are preparing a rule that would prohibit Apple’s practice of blocking music services from pushing their users away from the App Store to alternative subscription options, the article says.The decision is slated for early next year.
Presently, Apple doesn’t allow apps to inform users about any payment system rather than App Store’s in-app purchase system within their apps, though developers can inform customers by email. If the EU’s rule is finalized and approved, the tech giant would have to drop this”anti-steering” rule.
This is all part of Apple’s ongoing headaches with the European Union (EU). For example, the tech giant has filed a legal case contesting decisions taken by the European Commission (EC) under its recently-introduced Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The EU is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its policies aim “to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and regional development.”
Apple would have to properly classify apps as subscription based instead of Free and Paid.