Apple
has responded to criticism from tech giants
Spotify
and
Meta
, asserting its adherence to the
European Union
’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The company faced scrutiny over its compliance with the new
regulations
, which aim to ensure fair competition and user choice in the digital market.
According to a report by Reuters, Apple’s legal representative, Kyle Andeer, addressed the concerns during a hearing with the EU, emphasising the company’s commitment to following the law while maintaining its core values and user experience.
“We were guided first and foremost by ensuring that we’ve complied with the law. And then, second, that we did it in a way that was consistent with our values and consistent with the language that we’ve developed with our users over a very long period of time. And we think we’ve accomplished that,” Andeer stated
The DMA, which came into effect earlier this year, requires major tech companies to open up their platforms to competitors. Apple has made several changes to its iOS software to comply with the DMA, including allowing alternative app marketplaces and supporting third-party browser engines.
Andes further said that Apple is focused on implementing new changes from a user perspective but is not ignoring developers. “Now, it’s not to say that we’re not focused on the impact of developers, but I think from our perspective first and foremost, we’ll be tracking very carefully what’s the impact of all of these different changes on the user experience that we’ve delivered to our customers for 15, 16 years through the iPhone?”, Andeer said.
Spotify has accused Apple of blocking app updates on the App Store in the EU, alleging that the tech giant is impeding iOS app updates post-regulations. Spotify’s criticism comes from Apple’s fee structure, which includes a transaction fee and a Core Technology Fee (CTF), claiming it deters app developers from providing seamless in-app experiences and hampers fair competition.
Apple has revised its App Store rules in response to developer feedback and now allows users to download apps directly from a developer’s website. The company has also introduced new controls, disclosures, and expanded protections to address privacy and security risks associated with the DMA.
English (US) ·