The European Commission (EC) has opened another non-compliance investigation against Apple. The tech giant’s App Store was found to be in breach of rules that prevent third-party developers from freely pointing customers to cheaper alternative options.

Just three months ago, Apple was fined €1.8bn by the EU for promoting its music-streaming service over rivals.

In August 2023, the EC’s landmark rules for online platforms – the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) – came into effect to rein in the power of giants such as Alphabet, Amazon and Meta.

The DMA aims to curb anticompetitive behaviour and keep ‘gatekeepers’ from suppressing market competition. But the EC says that the App Store “prevents app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content”.

In particular, the findings reveal that Apple has put in place a ‘core technology fee’ of €0.50, which developers of third-party app stores and third-party apps must pay each time...