BRUSSELS, Belgium: European app developers are pressing regulators in Brussels to step up enforcement against Apple, arguing that recent changes to the company's App Store fees leave them worse off than competitors in the United States.
A coalition of 20 app developers and consumer groups, on December 16, urged European authorities to enforce EU laws more forcefully against Apple, saying its fee structure unfairly disadvantages European developers following a recent U.S. court ruling.
The appeal centres on the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into force in 2023 and requires large digital platforms designated as "gatekeepers," including Apple, to allow in-app transactions outside their ecosystems at no cost.
The coalition says a growing gap has emerged between how Apple treats developers in the U.S. and in Europe. A U.S. court decision earlier this year limited Apple's ability to charge fees on external transactions, while European developers continue to face what the group describes as punitive costs.
The European Commission fined Apple 500 million euros (US$588 million) earlier this year for breaching the DMA by preventing developers from steering users toward alternative payment options.
In response to that ruling, Apple revised its App Store terms. Under the changes, the company charges fees ranging from 13 percent for smaller businesses to as much as 20 percent on App Store purchases, and levies additional fees of between five and 15 percent on external transactions.
The Coalition for Apps Fairness (CAF), whose members include the music streaming service Deezer and the privacy-focused firm Proton, says the revised terms still violate the DMA. The group argues that U.S. developers are benefiting from more favourable conditions following the American court decision.
"This situation is untenable and damaging to the app economy," CAF said in a statement, accusing Apple of undermining transparency and stifling innovation.
Gene Burrus, global policy counsel for CAF, said the fee structure leaves developers with little choice but to absorb the extra costs or pass them on to consumers.
"It is bad for European companies, and it is bad for European consumers," Burrus said.
According to CAF, European developers remain at a disadvantage six months after the European Commission ruled that Apple's previous policies breached the DMA.
Apple has said it will introduce further changes to its policies from January, but has not yet provided details, which developers say has added to their frustration.
"We want the EU Commission to tell Apple that the law is the law and that free of charge means free of charge," Burrus said, adding that European authorities should consider referring the matter to the European Court of Justice if needed.
Apple did not immediately comment on the coalition's appeal.
