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EU Commission fines Apple over €1.8 billion over abusive App store rules for music streaming providers (ec.europa.eu)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The European Commission has fined Apple over €1.8 billion for abusing its dominant position on the market for the distribution of music streaming apps to iPhone and iPad users (‘iOS users') through its App Store. In particular, the Commission found that Apple applied restrictions on app developers preventing them from informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app (‘anti-steering provisions'). This is illegal under EU antitrust rules.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Under the App Store’s reader rule, Spotify can also include a link in their app to a webpage where users can create or manage an account.

Instead, Spotify wants to bend the rules in their favor by embedding subscription prices in their app without using the App Store’s In-App Purchase system.

I'm confused now. What is a "reader app"?

Spotify wants to make subscriptions an app functionality and Apple restricts that to it's own payment system - and the alternative they provide is external websites?

Why the heck is it called a "reader rule" and "reader app"?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

IIRC it's because it comes from before when Apple was sued over charging 25-30% of all eBooks sales while pushing iBooks.

See: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2011/12/eu-investigating-whether-publishers-conspired-with-apple-on-e-book-pricing/

It was a while ago though so hard to find good sources now.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

I’m confused now. What is a “reader app”?

This is some of Apple's own terminology. It applies to any application who's main purpose is to serve up audial, visual or text-based media.

Apple allows these apps to access existing accounts via apps but not create new ones.