Apple is challenging a €500 million fine for allegedly violating the EU Digital Markets Act

On Monday, Apple appealed a 500 million euro ($586 million) fine called “unprecedented”, seeking to overturn the ruling for breaching the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

According to a CNBC report, Apple said “As our appeal will show, the EC is mandating how we run our store and forcing business terms which are confusing for developers and bad for users,”. “We implemented this to avoid punitive daily fines and will share the facts with the Court.”

Apple updated European App Store policies, saying the changes comply with the DMA, averting further fines.

The Commission, the EU’s executive arm, announced the fine in April, accusing Apple of breaching its anti-steering obligation by limiting how the App Store operates.

“Due to a number of restrictions imposed by Apple, app developers cannot fully benefit from the advantages of alternative distribution channels outside the App Store,” the Commission wrote. “Similarly, consumers cannot fully benefit from alternative and cheaper offers as Apple prevents app developers from directly informing consumers of such offers.”

Under the DMA, gatekeepers like Google and Apple must let developers tell users about offers outside their platforms, including prices or terms.

Spotify and Epic Games say App Store rules block them from telling iOS users about alternative payment options. Apple charges 15% to 30% on in-app purchases.

Major tech companies fighting EU scrutiny under the DMA

Earlier, Google planned to warn EU antitrust regulators at a European Commission workshop that the Digital Markets Act is stifling innovation and could expose it to fines of up to 10 % of its global revenue. The company had earlier proposed tweaks to its search results to showcase rival products and services, a plan it will bring back to Brussels for discussion on July 7-8, 2025

The Commission also fined Meta €200 million for the “consent or pay” model, finding it breached DMA rules on in-app steering and payments.

Moreover, Brussels has opened investigations into Alphabet, Google’s parent, for alleged self-preferencing in Search and steering limits in Google Play. These preliminary reports were adopted on March 19, 2025, under Article 6 of the DMA.

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