European Union regulators accused Apple on Monday of breaking new rules on digital competition by imposing rules in its App Store marketplace that prevent software developers from steering users to other venues.
The European Commission said that according to the preliminary findings of its investigation, the iPhone maker had breached the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Markets Act.
The rulebook, also known as the DMA, is a sweeping set of regulations aimed at preventing tech “gatekeepers” from cornering digital markets.
The commission, the bloc’s executive arm, said Apple’s rules for its App Store “prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content.”
Apple now has a chance to respond to the findings, which the commission will assess. It must make a final decision on Apple’s compliance by March 2025.
The commission also kept up the pressure on Apple, simultaneously opening a new investigation into the company’s compliance with the DMA looking at new contractual terms that Apple has offered app developers.
Apple Inc. said over the past several months, it “has made a number of changes to comply with the DMA in response to feedback from developers and the European Commission.”
“We are confident our plan complies with the law,” the company said.