Apple has under a month to adhere to the European Commission's Digital Markets Act (DMA) or risk additional sanctions

The European Commission has mandated that Apple adhere to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), requiring the company to address its non-compliance with the legislation. Apple must alter the App Store within a period of less than 30 days to allow app developers to connect to external shops and payment methods.

In August, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) closed its examination of Apple's in-app payment system amid ongoing investigations into potential regulatory breaches by the company. Around this time, Apple adjusted its business practices within the EU to permit developers to link to external payment systems. However, the European Commission indicated last month that these changes were insufficient and determined that Apple had violated its anti-steering obligations, resulting in a $568.6 million (€500m) fine for Apple.

Apple's breach of the EU law stemmed from its restriction on App Store apps to link or mention alternative payment methods, effectively forcing developers to share 30% of their income with Apple.

The full ruling from the European Commission clarifies that as of April 23, 2025, Apple was given a 60-day timeframe to comply. Now, Apple is under 30 days away from meeting this deadline. Should Apple fail to align with Article 3, it risks facing additional periodic penalties until compliance is achieved.

According to a statement issued earlier by the Commission, "App developers offering their products through Apple's App Store must have the latitude to inform consumers about alternate offers outside the App Store, guide them to such offers, and facilitate those purchases without charge."

The Commission further noted that Apple has not met this requirement, stating that Apple's imposed restrictions prevent app developers from fully utilizing alternative distribution options. As a result, consumers are deprived of alternative and often more affordable options. Furthermore, Apple has not sufficiently proven the necessity or proportionality of these limitations.

In response to 9to5Mac, Apple expressed its position by saying: "The detailed 70-page decision released [on April 23] lacks justification for the European Commission’s targeted measures against Apple, which endanger user privacy and security across Europe and compel us to release our technology without charge.

They added, "The decision and its significant fine came after the Commission frequently adjusted compliance parameters, obstructing Apple’s prolonged effort to establish a viable solution. This ruling is detrimental to innovation, competition, our products, and our users. While appealing, we remain committed to engaging with the Commission to uphold the interests of our European customers."