• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
TechApple

Apple’s EU app store changes are truly epic—but they may not be enough

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 26, 2024, 11:11 AM ET
Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers remarks during an Apple special event on September 12, 2023 in Cupertino, California.
Apple CEO Tim Cook may have trouble satisfying the European Commission with major changes that aim to comply with the EU’s new Digital Markets Act.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Apple on Thursday announced fundamental changes to the way it runs its mobile business in Europe, to very grudgingly comply with the European Union’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA)—a massive reform of antitrust law that specifically targets Big Tech.

Recommended Video

But Apple’s move is already facing strong opposition from those who are supposed to benefit from it.

The changes, which the company revealed with stark warnings about the security and privacy implications for European iPhone and iPad users, will make it possible for those users to download alternative app stores, pay for in-app purchases and subscriptions without using Apple’s payment system, and choose to use non-Safari browsers like Chrome or Firefox—which will no longer have to be built on top of Apple’s WebKit engine—from the first time they turn on their device.

However, companies that have long been pushing for the ability to launch rivals to the in-house iOS App Store are deeply displeased with the way Apple has chosen to make the changes.

Epic Games, which has spent years crusading against the massive cut Apple demands for in-app sales, and which intends to launch its own iOS app store in the EU later this year, is the most notable example.

In a blistering X post, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney laid into Apple’s decision to claim a €0.50 ($0.54) “core technology fee” per first installation from developers who choose to distribute very popular apps (i.e., those seeing over 1 million downloads per year) through alternative app stores.

Apple says this would apply to less than 1% of developers, but nonetheless, it would demand that fee whether the installation comes via its own App Store or a rival channel.

“They are forcing developers to choose between App Store exclusivity and the store terms, which will be illegal under [the] DMA, or accept a new also-illegal anticompetitive scheme rife with new Junk Fees on downloads and new Apple taxes on payments they don’t process,” Sweeney thundered. (That last point is curious, as Apple explicitly said that “developers can use a payment service provider within their app or link users to their website to process payments for no additional fee to Apple.”)

This opposition could well mean that the changes still leave Apple falling foul of the DMA—which comes with the threat of fines theoretically running as high as 20% of global annual revenue.

“The DMA will open the gates of the internet to competition so that digital markets are fair and open. Change is already happening. As from 7 March [the deadline for DMA compliance] we will assess companies’ proposals, with the feedback of third parties,” Thierry Breton, the European Commission’s digital chief, told Reuters on Friday.

“If the proposed solutions are not good enough, we will not hesitate to take strong action.”

Asked for comment earlier in the day, a Commission spokesperson told Fortune that the EU executive body—which is in charge of enforcing the DMA—“strongly” encourages Big Tech companies whose platforms fall under the law to “test their proposals with third parties.”

Apple told Fortune that it was sharing its changes with everyone, and that it had previewed them to the Commission in more than 50 meetings.

Epic won’t be the only company griping to the Commission.

Aptoide, which already has an alternative app store for iOS but currently requires users to have “jailbroken” iPhones to use it, also told Reuters that it was preparing to send formal feedback on Apple’s changes. “This was definitely a good move, but the fees are still too high,” said CEO Paulo Trezentos.

Sweeney’s complaint went beyond the issue of fees, also touching on the measures Apple said it would take to mitigate the theoretical security threats posed by alternative app stores.

Apple will still review all iOS apps, regardless of how they’re distributed, through a “notarization” procedure entailing both automated and human review—crucially, it will also retain the right to deny authorization to alternative app stores, “to ensure marketplace developers commit to ongoing requirements that help protect users and [app] developers.”

“Apple proposes that it can choose which stores are allowed to compete with their App Store. They could block Epic from launching the Epic Games Store and distributing Fortnite through it, for example, or block Microsoft, Valve, Good Old Games, or new entrants,” Sweeney wrote.

“Epic has always supported the notion of Apple notarization and malware scanning for apps, but we strongly reject Apple’s twisting this process to undermine competition.”

The DMA itself states that “gatekeepers” such as Apple will need to apply “fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory general conditions of access” for other businesses that want to set up shop on their platforms.

With such strong pushback already evident, there’s a chance that Apple’s changes may not reach those benchmarks.  

About the Author
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

orson
CommentaryOpenAI
We got California to intervene about OpenAI’s corporate switch from nonprofit status. It’s time for the SEC to come to the table
By Orson Aguilar and Catherine BracyJuly 22, 2026
3 hours ago
A woman observes stock trends on her smartphone while a computer screen displays financial graphs.
NewslettersCFO Daily
Beyond SpaceX: Why great IPOs depend on more than first-day demand
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 22, 2026
3 hours ago
Arrakis cofounder and CEO Rafael Quintanilla.
Startups & VentureVenture Capital
Exclusive: Arrakis, betting AI’s biggest payoff is in industrial sectors not office work, emerges from stealth with $38 million in venture funding
By Jeremy KahnJuly 22, 2026
3 hours ago
ls
Commentarybooks
Confessions of an award-winning AI memoirist — the ‘slop’ debate isn’t really about good writing, and you know it
By Luke StoffelJuly 22, 2026
4 hours ago
b
Commentarythe future of work
Manpower President: The future of work question that even CEOs can’t answer
By Becky FrankiewiczJuly 22, 2026
4 hours ago
nela
Successdisruption
Exclusive: Stanford and ADP have new payroll data on Gen Z women losing ground to men in the job market—and AI isn’t the main culprit
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
2 days ago
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
Cybersecurity
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
By Jeremy Kahn and Emily ForliniJuly 21, 2026
19 hours ago
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
AI
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
By Eva RoytburgJuly 21, 2026
23 hours ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
2 days ago
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
Success
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
By Emma BurleighJuly 21, 2026
1 day ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.