The EU has levied a €1.8bn (£1.5bn) fine against Apple for making it difficult for European users to find out pricing information for alternative music streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube Music.

The tech giant has its own Apple Music service that it promotes heavily to iPhone users. But the European Commission (EC) found that it applied restrictions on app developers that prevented them from informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules.

An investigation found that Apple bans music streaming app developers from fully informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app and from providing any instructions about how to subscribe to such offers.

If paid for via an app downloaded through the store, Apple takes 30% of all transactions for in-app purchases and 15% or 30% for subscriptions depending on various factors. This has...