How Apple will shut Down the Internet? Daniel Ek, a Reluctant Figurhead in Europe’s Apple Watch, says a Commission is “Unconstitutional”
Music streaming companies and other apps are unable to tell their users on Apple devices how to sign up for services outside of the app. Instead app users can only see sign up options for in-app subscriptions via Apple’s payments system, where prices are likely to be higher because Apple takes a cut. Some app makers, including Spotify, that do not offer in-app purchases because they don’t want to pay this commission. “Some consumers may have paid more because they were unaware they could pay less if they subscribed outside the app,” Vestager said. “This is illegal under EU antitrust rules.” Apple, which says the EU has failed to provide credible evidence of consumer harm, has already pledged to appeal.
The Commission took into account Apple’s total turnover and market capitalization, along with Apple’s incorrect information submitted during the administrative procedure, when setting the fine.
Alongside its investigation into Apple’s App Store policies, the European Commission has also been looking at Apple’s policy of restricting the iPhone’s tap-top-pay NFC (near-field communication) to its own wallet and payment services. As a result of the investigation, Apple has offered to let third-party mobile wallet and payment providers use the iPhone’s NFC feature for payments.
Although Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has expressed disapproval of Apple’s business tactics, he’s also something of a reluctant figurehead in Europe’s fight against Apple. The self-described introvert has adopted the role of spokesperson for disgruntled European app developers, who finally feel their complaints about big tech are finally being heard.
On Monday, Ek posted a video on X in which he called Apple a threat to the internet. He said that Apple wants to shut down the internet to make it theirs and that they should have control over what the user experience is. Ek also claimed Apple also wants to effectively levy a tax on Spotify while exempting its own music service, Apple Music.
At least right now, in-app purchases won’t be available for the European Union. Instead, if Apple approves a newly submitted update, it’s going to try to do the next best thing: provide pricing information within the app and link users to its subscription options.
Apple started letting readerAPPS include links to their websites in order to make users more friendly. However, Apple still exerts control over the language reader apps can use when pointing users toward their link, preventing them from telling users how much a subscription costs.