Apple Is Facing New Antitrust Complaints … Here’s What It Means For iPhone Users
The European Union's regulations could be a sign of things to come.
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Subscribe for free to get more stories like this directly to your inboxThere’s been a lot of discussion about companies, particularly in the tech industry, that regulators say have become too powerful. In its latest effort to rein in the influence of Big Tech titans, the Justice Department took aim at Apple in the form of a lawsuit alleging that its slate of proprietary services runs afoul of antitrust laws.
Regulators weigh in
Essentially, the Biden administration has accused the mega-corporation of implementing proprietary products for its devices while excluding competitors, thereby establishing a monopoly of sorts within the smartphone sector.
But Apple isn’t alone. The Justice Department has also filed suits that make similar claims against Google and Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram.
The European Union has already leveraged its regulatory power, forcing Apple to make updates to its products across that continent … and similar changes could be introduced in the U.S. depending on how the lawsuit plays out in court.
What could be in store
There’s already plenty of speculation about what Apple might be forced to do if the recently filed lawsuit doesn’t go its way.
- Shopping around: Much of Apple’s revenue comes from app developers who pay for the privilege of being listed in the App Store. In the EU, however, iOS users are already able to install apps from sources other than the App Store.
- Just browsing: Safari has long been prioritized on iOS devices, but the EU regulations have sparked a change for European users whereby they are prompted to choose a default browser in a pop-up screen that appears when they first open Safari.
- Message received: Android users have long complained about subpar service when sending SMS messages to iOS devices, and the DOJ addressed this issue. But EU regulators ultimately did not require any change to the messaging platform.
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