Apple Faces Two EU Antitrust Probes Over Apps
EU opens probes into Apple Pay service, App Store
BRUSSELS—European Union antitrust authorities launched two probes into whether Apple Inc. AAPL 1.24% violated competition laws through its Apple Pay service and its App Store for software that runs on its mobile devices.
If found guilty, Apple could face a fine of up to 10% of its annual revenue and be forced to adjust its business practices.
The probes follow complaints from Apple rivals including music-streaming service Spotify Technology SA, which last year filed an antitrust complaint with the EU against Apple over allegedly restrictive rules for developers that use its App Store.
Separately, the EU has fielded complaints that Apple has abused its control over the Apple Pay payments service to force app developers into using its system rather than those of rivals. In its announcement Tuesday, the EU said it would examine how Apple allows only its own Apple Pay service to use the no-contact payment system built into Apple devices.
Apple has defended its practice of taking a 30% cut of sales through the App Store. The company denied hurting rivals and said it wants apps that compete with its services to thrive.
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