Apple fined almost €2 billion by European Union for favouring Apple Music streaming service over competitors

The European Union has fined tech giant Apple almost €2 billion for favouring its own music streaming service over competitors.

The European Commission said that Apple had banned app developers from "fully informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services outside of the app”. This was in direct violation of the EU antitrust rules, with the company fined €1.8bn as a result.

Apple is said to have operated this way for almost a decade, meaning that many users had paid “significantly higher prices for music streaming subscriptions” throughout this period. The investigation into the matter was launched five years ago following a complaint by music streaming service Spotify, with Apple now being fined.

The investigation focused on two complaints, one of which being Apple forcing app developers selling digital content to use its in-house payment service which charged 30% commission. However this complaint was dropped in favour of focusing on the competition claims.

According to the findings, Apple banned streaming services from telling its users about prices and offers on services outside of iOS apps. This included banning links within apps as well as email offers.

It is the latest crackdown on Big Tech companies for the EU, with Google and Meta both fined for violations. The Digital Markets Act, which comes into force on Thursday, is set to impose rules on technology companies operating in the EU, many of which are at the heart of the recent Apple investigation.

Apple has already said that it will take action following the ruling. The company said that iOS users in the EU will be able to access app stores other than its own and will enable developers to offer alternative payment systems.