After a few days of delays, the European Commission officially announced that Apple violated its “anti-steering obligation under the Digital Markets Act” (DMA), while Meta breached the DMA requirement to offer consumers services that use less of their personal data. As a result, Apple has been fined €500 million, or $570 million. Meta was also hit with a €200 million fine. The European Commission says these decisions followed “extensive dialogue with the companies, allowing them to present their views and arguments in detail.”
“Today’s decisions send a strong and clear message. The Digital Markets Act is a crucial instrument to unlock potential, choice, and growth by ensuring digital players can operate in contestable and fair markets,” said Teresa Ribera, Executive VP for Clean, Just, and Competitive Transition in the European Commission. “Apple and Meta have fallen short of compliance with the DMA by implementing measures that reinforce the dependence of business users and consumers on their platforms. As a result, we have taken firm but balanced enforcement action against both companies, based on clear and predictable rules.”
According to the ruling, Apple failed to inform users of alternative, free options besides the App Store. “Due to a number of restrictions imposed by Apple, app developers cannot fully benefit from the advantages of alternative distribution channels outside the App Store. Similarly, consumers cannot fully benefit from alternative and cheaper offers as Apple prevents app developers from directly informing consumers of such offers,” said the European Commission.
The EU has ordered Apple to remove the technical and commercial restrictions on steering and refrain from continuing non-compliant conduct in the future.
In addition to this hefty fine, Apple will need to implement several changes to its iPhone system in the coming months to comply with the new DMA legislation, which will take effect during the iOS 19 and iOS 20 cycles.
