EU Commissioner Thierry Breton welcomed “the ongoing changes” on Friday after Apple said it would bring its iPhones into line with new European rules, while warning that the EU would not hesitate to take action in the event of a breach.
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Apple on Thursday announced major changes to the iOS operating system that powers its famous mobile phones to comply with new Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations.
These changes were made reluctantly under pressure from Brussels, as the Cupertino group had always shown its hostility towards the DMA.
The European Commission, which now takes on the role of the EU's digital policeman, must assess compliance with the new legislation, which comes into force at the beginning of March.
“Change is already underway,” Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in an interview with AFP about the Californian group’s announcements.
“More choice for consumers and more opportunities for small, innovative technology companies. “The DMA will open the doors of the Internet to competition so that digital markets are fair and open,” he emphasized.
“From March 7th, we will evaluate the companies' proposals taking into account the opinions of third parties. “If the proposed solutions are not good enough, we will not hesitate to take strong action,” he warned.
Specifically, the Apple brand announced that starting in March it would allow alternative app stores on its phones that would compete with its App Store.
It will also open up to contactless payment services other than the Apple Pay solution.
Choosing an alternative browser to Safari is also made easier by automatically opening a menu with competing solutions, whereas previously you had to go into the settings to make such a change.
These developments are accompanied by new pricing conditions for developers.
Apple denounces “risks”.
“The changes comply with the requirements of the European Union's Digital Markets Act while helping to protect EU users from the inevitable increased privacy and security threats that this regulation brings,” said Phil Schiller, vice president of marketing at Apple , quoted in a press release.
“Even with these guarantees in place, many risks remain,” says the Cupertino group, whose security is one of the main marketing arguments and which has never hidden its hostility towards the DMA. Apple also assumes that the new rules will lead to a “less intuitive user experience”.
“It's the same story as the ordinary charger: they make a big deal, but in the end they stick to it. If they are worried about security, it means they have not done their job well and the Commission can take action against them,” a senior European official told AFP on Friday.
Apple announced in September that it would integrate the “USB-C” universal charging port into its new iPhone range, a year in advance of complying with European legislation that the company has long fought against.
The apple brand has built its success on a closed ecosystem whose parameters it controls, a philosophy that is in direct contradiction to European competition rules. She always defended it with the security requirements and increased comfort for users.
The regulation of digital markets applies to Apple, but also to five other digital giants – Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Microsoft and the Chinese ByteDance (TikTok).
This law introduces stricter rules to curb anti-competitive practices in the EU. Companies that violate the regulations face fines of up to 20% of their global sales if they repeat their violations, and in the most serious cases even dismantling measures.
At the initiative of the text, Commissioners Thierry Breton and Margrethe Vestager hope to encourage the emergence of European start-ups and improve the services offered to consumers.
The DMA will make it possible to take action in advance against the abuse of a dominant market position. The EU's traditional competition rules had failed to bring the sector's giants into line, dragging the Commission into endless legal proceedings.