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Epic Games , Spotify , Proton,37signalsand other developer had already signalise their displeasure with how Apple has chosen toadapt its rulesto forgather the necessity of the newfangled EU regulation , the Digital Markets Act ( DMA ) , calling it “ extortion ” and“bad - religion ” submission , among other thing . Now those companies have formalized their complaintsin a letter addressed to the European Commission , where they collectively argue that Apple has made a takeoff of the new constabulary and urge the EC to take “ fleet , timely , and decisive activity against Apple ” in rescript to protect developer .
Apple ’s newDMA ruleshave been wide criticize by developers and tech company , includingMeta , MozillaandMicrosoft . rather of introduce a newfangled , more level playacting field where developer could easily compete with Apple ’s App Store , Apple notice a way to legally comply with the particular of the regulation , but not its intention . Most notably , it introduce a Core Technology Fee for those developers adopt its DMA rules , which requires apps distributed outside the App Store to still give Apple € 0.50 for each first yearly install per class over a 1 million brink . This was unfit news for would - be rivals that had wanted to set up their own app store or distribute their apps outside of Apple ’s wall to avoid paying commission .
In the new letter , 34 troupe and association across a variety show of sectors are ask the EC to take action .
“ Apple ’s new full term not only disregard both the spirit and letter of the law , but if left unaltered , make a travesty of the DMA and the considerable efforts by the European Commission and EU institutions to make digital markets competitive , ” it study .
The letter go on to point out where the companies consider that Apple is non - compliant with the DMA , noting that Apple ’s organisation of requiring developers to prefer to choose into the DMA terms adds unnecessary complexity and confusedness , as both are non - compliant , it read . Plus , because of the Modern fee body structure , and the Core Technology Fee , it ’s clear that few will agree to the DMA terms , the companies said . While there has been much vocal literary criticism of the footing , at least one developer , MacPaw , recently announced it had get to the terms to distribute its software subscription Setapp in the EU .
The companies also complain that Apple ’s “ panic attack screen , ” designed to monish customers of the risks associated with transacting outside Apple ’s App Store , will “ mislead and demean the user experience , deprive them of real choice and the benefit of the DMA . ”
Finally , the missive argues that for the DMA to be effective , it needs to provide for alternate app memory board and sideloading — the former which the companies say Apple makes difficult and the latter which Apple ’s DMA linguistic rule do n’t even allow for .
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Apple , meanwhile , also published awhitepaper todaythat limn its solvent to accost the changes the DMA requires to commissions and payments . Here , it stresses the security and faith client have with Apple and its accent on consumer privacy . In poor , its situation is that “ user should not be exposed to forcible hurt through iOS , ” and that all its cause with regard to DMA compliance are means of reducing any potential harms that users could be exposed to .
There are hints that Apple may be feel the insistency , however , as it alsotoday reverse an earlier decisionto city block reform-minded web apps from run normally on devices in the EU . TheFT had recently reportedthat the EC ’s opinion focalize on challenger in the streaming music market will not be in Apple ’s favor and will rather extract a € 500 million amercement from the iPhone maker . Apple responded to this bysharing details about Spotify ’s succeeder on iOS , noting that its app had been installed more than 119 billion times across Apple twist , among other matter .
In response to the companies ’ letter , an EC spokesperson told TechCrunch that the six - month deadline for Big Tech gatekeepers , like Apple , was there for a reason .
“ Once the compliance solutions are fully eff next hebdomad , these necessitate to be properly analyse both by the Commission and stakeholder , in its completeness and not just based on a few announcement , ” they noted , sum up that the Commission is take care “ very carefully ” at how companies are complying .
Once it has full enforcement powers , the EC will “ not waver to act , ” they also said .
