New Normal of Regulation for Tech Giants: Sky-high Fines Force Apple to Open App Store to Third-party Payments in the EU
Apple Inc. announced significant adjustments to the App Store operating rules in the EU region starting June 26, in order to comply with the EU Digital Markets Act. The new regulations allow developers to display external purchasing channels within their apps, enabling users to make transactions through websites or third-party app stores. Additionally, Apple will implement a unified charging structure by January 1, 2026, gradually transitioning to a commission model for digital goods transactions. This adjustment comes after the EU imposed a €500 million antitrust fine on Apple, with potential daily fines of up to 5% of global average daily revenue if compliance is not achieved
According to Zhitong Finance APP, Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) announced significant adjustments to its App Store operating rules in the EU region starting June 26, Eastern Time, to fully comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act requirements and avoid potential escalating economic penalties. This policy change mainly involves two core areas: opening in-app purchase channels and updating commercial terms.
According to the new regulations, developers of apps listed on the App Store in the 27 EU countries and European Economic Area countries such as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway will gain the right to display external purchase channels in their app interfaces. Apple's official statement clearly states: "Developers can guide users to complete transactions for digital goods and services through websites, third-party app markets, or other apps, supporting both in-app web view redirects and direct redirects to external platforms." This means that EU users will have more choices beyond the official app store when purchasing game items, subscription services, and other content in the future.
In terms of commercial cooperation models, Apple announced that it will implement a unified charging structure in the EU market by January 1, 2026. At that time, the current core technology fee system will gradually transition to a digital goods transaction commission (CTC) model, which will apply to all in-app digital transactions distributed through the App Store. Along with this adjustment, when the iOS 18.6 system is officially pushed, EU users will also gain new permissions to directly download third-party app markets or independent apps from developers' official websites.
This policy adjustment is directly related to the regulatory pressure from the EU. In late April this year, the European Commission imposed a €500 million (approximately $585 million) antitrust fine on Apple for "obstructing app developers from guiding users to choose more favorable payment channels" and set a 60-day rectification deadline. If the rectification is not completed on time, Apple will face additional fines of up to 5% of its global daily revenue per day. According to regulatory documents, the current fine amount is still accruing interest daily.
As one of the first six "digital gatekeepers" recognized by the EU's Digital Markets Act, Apple shares the obligation of an open platform ecosystem with Google (GOOGL.US), Amazon (AMZN.US), Meta (META.US), Microsoft (MSFT.US), and ByteDance. The European Commission's criteria for defining "gatekeepers" include providing core digital services such as online search, app stores, and communication services, with an annual turnover exceeding €7.5 billion or a market value of over €75 billion. This policy adjustment by Apple marks a substantial step in the EU's antitrust regulation against tech giants.
Affected by this news, Apple's stock price fell 0.28% during regular trading on Thursday, closing at $201.00 per share. As of the current after-hours trading session, its U.S. stock price has rebounded by 0.36%, showing a technical correction trend
