The European Commission ordered Apple on 4 March 2024 to remove restrictions on music streaming app developers that prevented them from informing iPhone and iPad users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of their apps. The Commission also ordered Apple to refrain from repeating the practice or from adopting practices with an equivalent object or effect in the future.

Why it’s important

The Commission decided that Apple was in a dominant position on the market for the distribution of music streaming apps to iPhone and iPad users through its App Store. Moreover, it concluded that Apple’s restrictions broke the EU antitrust rule that companies are forbidden from exploiting a dominant position in a market to impose unfair trading conditions to the detriment of consumers. The Commission fined Apple over €1.8 billion for having imposed the illegal restrictions for over ten years.

For consumers it means

• They now have the right to be informed about cheaper choices of music streaming services that can be accessed via apps on their iPhones and iPads, without Apple blocking this, and so can make making informed choices in favour of alternative cheaper options.

• The decision – in combination with effective enforcement of the Digital Markets Act – should help consumers benefit from more competitive and better digital services across the board, without illegal restrictions imposed by Big Tech companies.

What BEUC did

BEUC formally participated in, and contributed to, the European Commission’s antitrust investigation into Apple’s restrictions on music streaming apps that led to the May 2024 Commission decision against Apple. The Commission admitted BEUC as an interested third party on the basis that we represented consumers’ views in this case.

As noted in the Commission decision, our contributions included disputing Apple’s claim that consumers could easily find pricing information about outside-the-app subscriptions elsewhere at the time of subscribing.