What you should know
- The Digital Markets Act, which came into force on November 1, 2022, gave designated gatekeepers until March 2024 to comply with new regulations, affecting companies like Apple, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and ByteDance.
- Apple was fined $2 billion by the EU for violating the Digital Markets Act, particularly over complaints from Spotify about Apple’s App Store rules, indicating the EU’s seriousness about enforcing the new regulations.
- Despite being fined, Apple has been accused of trying to delay compliance with the DMA, as evidenced by Spotify’s complaint that Apple is preventing them from informing customers about subscription prices or allowing direct purchases.
- Apple’s actions, such as not approving or rejecting a Spotify app update in a timely manner and revoking Epic Games’ developer license, suggest a pattern of resistance against the Digital Markets Act’s requirements.
Full Story
So, the Digital Markets Act kicked in on November 1, 2022. Right? But here’s the kicker: big names like Apple, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and ByteDance got this grace period until March 2024. They needed it, apparently, to tweak their business models to fit into the new rules and regs.
Now, despite some of them getting slapped with fines, it seems like they’re playing the waiting game. Take Apple, for instance. They got hit with a whopping $2 billion fine in the EU. Why? Spotify wasn’t too happy about how Apple was running its App Store. But, did that shake Apple? Doesn’t look like it.
The folks over at Cupertino are still giving Spotify the runaround. Spotify’s been trying to tell its users about subscription prices and let them buy directly. But Apple? They’re not having it. There was this email Spotify sent to the European Commission, which The Verge got a hold of. Spotify’s pretty miffed that Apple’s just ignoring them.
Spotify tried to update its app on March 5. But Apple? They’ve neither given the green light nor the stop sign. Spotify’s scratching their heads because Apple usually gets back within 24 hours. It’s been nearly 10 days! Seems like Apple’s playing chess, trying to sidestep the European Commission.
Oh, and it’s not Apple’s first rodeo with the Digital Markets Act. Remember the Epic Games drama? Apple yanked their developer license after Epic’s CEO threw some shade on Twitter. But, guess what? The European Commission stepped in, and just like that, Epic was back in the game a few days later.
Life in the tech lane, huh? Always something brewing.
