The European Commission has ordered Apple to comply with its Digital Markets Act (DMA), instructing the tech giant to cease and desist its non-compliance with the law. Apple now has less than 30 days to update the App Store and enable app developers to link to external shops and payment methods.
The UK’s CMA shut down its investigation into Apple’s in-app payment system in August, which was looking into whether the company was in breach of regulations. Around the same time, Apple updated its business terms in the EU to allow developers to link to external payment systems, but it was not enough to satisfy the European Commission, which claimed in a judgment last month that Apple had breached its anti-steering obligations under the DMA. The EC also fined Apple $568.6 million (€500m) for its violations.
Apple was found to have violated EU law by not permitting App Store apps to link or even make reference to alternative means of payment that could circumvent Apple’s own storefront, thereby compelling developers to share 30 per cent of their revenue with the megacorp.
Now, however, the EC has published the full details of its ruling, revealing that on April 23, 2025, Apple had 60 days to comply (thanks, 9to5Mac). Today, that means Apple has less than 30 days to obey its ruling. If Apple is found not to have complied with Article 3, “it shall incur periodic penalty payments […] until the date on which it complies with the Decision.”
“Under the DMA, app developers distributing their apps via Apple’s App Store should be able to inform customers, free of charge, of alternative offers outside the App Store, steer them to those offers and allow them to make purchases,” the Commission said in a statement at the time.
“The Commission found that Apple fails to comply with this obligation. 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. The company has failed to demonstrate that these restrictions are objectively necessary and proportionate.”
In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said: “There is nothing in the 70-page decision released [on April 23] that justifies the European Commission’s targeted actions against Apple, which threaten the privacy and security of our users in Europe and force us to give away our technology for free.
“Their decision and unprecedented fine came after the Commission continuously moved the goalposts on compliance, and repeatedly blocked Apple’s months-long efforts to implement a new solution. The decision is bad for innovation, bad for competition, bad for our products, and bad for users. While we appeal, we’ll continue engaging with the Commission to advocate on behalf of our European customers.”
