Apple has been fined €500 million (RM 2.5 billion) and Meta €200 million (~RM 1 billion) by the European Commission (EC) for anti-competitive practices that violate the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA). In Apple's case, the practice of preventing app developers from directing payments outside the App Store ecosystem was found to violate the DMA. Meanwhile, Meta violated the DMA by forcing users to pay monthly subscriptions or have to see ads to use its platform.
Apple and Meta were given 60 days to pay the fines imposed or face additional fines. Apple and Meta have previously been reprimanded by the EC for complying with the DMA but no change has been made.
Apple's move to allow third-party stores and payment options outside the ecosystem this year is seen as not fully compliant with the DMA because they still charge €0.50 per app install for the Core Technology Fee from developers. As a result, Spotify and Epic Games say Apple's guidelines are still confusing.
Google is now facing a hefty fine after the EC found in March that it had also failed to comply with the DMA in its Play Store advertising and payments business.
The DMA, which comes into effect in 2023, not only requires digital marketplace platform owners to open up their payment ecosystem but also insists on third-party accessory and app support. Apple has already been asked by the EC to allow NFC, tethering for accessories like AirPods, AirPlay and AirDrop to be opened up to third parties, which it has rejected as a risk to user security.