Apple Accused of Abusing Its Dominant Position for Music Streaming

From PC Mag: Apple is facing mounting pressure to change the way in which it applies App Store fees in the European Union.

The European Commission (EC) today accused Apple of abusing its "dominant position for the distribution of music streaming apps through its App Store." In particular, the EC points to Apple requiring the use of its in-app purchase mechanism by music-streaming services, of which Apple takes a cut. At the same time, those rival services are prevented "from informing iPhone and iPad users of alternative, cheaper purchasing possibilities."

Those rival services include Spotify, which filed a complaint in 2019 over the 30% cut Apple takes from Spotify Premium subscriptions that customers complete through the App Store. "If we choose not to use Apple's payment system, forgoing the charge, Apple then applies a series of technical and experience-limiting restrictions on Spotify," Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said at the time.

In the US, Spotify covers these costs by charging people $12.99 per month for subscriptions completed via the App Store; it's $9.99 if you subscribe directly via Spotify's website and then sign in via the iOS app.

View: Full Article