According to Engadget, after several months of speculation, the European Commission still imposed a $1.95 billion fine on Apple for restricting alternative programs for streaming music in the App Store.
The story began in 2020 when Spotify complained about Apple’s «suppression» of its music service in favor of iTunes and Apple Music. After 4 years, the European Commission did admit that Apple violated the EU antitrust legislation, prohibiting software developers from informing users about third-party options for purchasing music subscriptions (refers to posting of announcements or links to websites in programmes or via e-mail).
Apple has been using this practice for almost 10 years, thus forcing iOS users to pay more for music subscriptions than needed (taking into account its 30% commission that developers take into account when pricing).
It was previously reported that the EU could impose a fine on Apple of $542.6 million – less than a third of the final amount. However, the commission chose more financial punishment as a «deterrent factor» so that the violation would not be repeated. Apple plans to appeal this decision.