Devs say Apple still flouting EU’s Digital Markets Act six months on

Steven

Devs say Apple still flouting EU’s Digital Markets Act six months on

Summary

Six months after EU regulators found Apple’s App Store rules in breach of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Coalition for App Fairness says Apple is still non‑compliant. In an open letter to the European Commission, the coalition accuses Apple of maintaining App Store terms that effectively preserve commissions and fees the DMA forbids, while offering no meaningful, transparent fixes. Developers warn the uncertainty is freezing investment and harming competition across Europe, even as US courts have moved to grant developers greater freedom around external payments.

Key Points

  • The Coalition for App Fairness accuses Apple of continuing to impose fees that contravene the DMA.
  • The DMA requires gatekeepers to permit external transactions without App Store charges; Apple is reportedly seeking up to 20% commission on such transactions.
  • Apple says new App Store terms will arrive in January 2026, but developers say there is no clarity on whether those terms will actually comply.
  • Developers claim Apple’s lack of transparency and rushed timelines are chilling investment and innovation in the EU market.
  • US legal outcomes (eg. Epic litigation) have given developers more freedom, highlighting a transatlantic enforcement gap that risks disadvantaging European developers and consumers.

Why should I read this?

Short and blunt: if you make, sell or pay for apps in Europe this directly affects your wallet and how you operate. The coalition says Apple is playing for time and keeping the cash flow intact — which could mean higher costs, fewer choices and more uncertainty. If you work in apps, payments or digital policy, this is worth a quick read.

Context and relevance

This story tests whether the EU can actually enforce the DMA against a major gatekeeper. Strong enforcement would reshape app economics in Europe and attract investment; weak enforcement risks turning the DMA into a symbolic win with little practical change. The dispute also ties into wider regulatory moves — from potential cloud gatekeeper designations to earlier tweaks by Google — and highlights growing legal divergence between EU and US outcomes.

Source

Source: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/12/16/apple_dma_complaint/