EU’s Margrethe Vestager meets with Apple’s Tim Cook to discuss sideloading, Apple Tax and more،
As Europe's Digital Markets Act (DMA) pressures Apple to make changes to the iPhone it doesn't want to make, Apple CEO Tim Cook met with the antitrust chief on Thursday of the EU, Margrethe Vestager, at Apple Park. In a tweet, Vestager said the meeting focused on certain aspects of the DMA. such as the requirement that Apple allow the iPhone to load apps in all 27 EU member countries. Apple is required by the DMA to offer sideloading in the EU by next March.
Sideloading involves installing an app from a third-party app store. Since the days of Steve Jobs, Apple has opposed sideloading, fearing it could encourage iPhone users to install malware-laden apps. Although Apple can run tests on apps installed from the App Store, it does not have this capability with apps downloaded from a third-party app storefront. Vestager and Cook also spoke about ongoing competition cases in the EU, including the one brought by music streamer Spotify against Apple Music.
The DMA also seeks to force Apple to allow developers to bypass Apple's in-app payment platform and avoid the 30% of in-app revenue that developers pay to Apple. This has been a major battle between some developers and Apple for years. And the EU is also seeking to get Apple to open its NFC-based mobile payment technology to third-party payment services.
On some of these issues, such as side loading, Apple is expected to limit this feature to iPhone models purchased in the 27 EU countries. On others, like adding RCS support, Apple plans to allow this on iPhones worldwide. Apple did the same when the Common European Charger Law was passed, forcing Apple to replace the Lightning port with USB-C.
Apple could have limited the replacement of its proprietary Lightning port to iPhones sold in the 27 EU member countries, but decided to offer two different versions of the new iPhone models (the European variants sporting the USB-C port and the Lightning port found on models elsewhere). in the world) would be too complex. As you probably know, starting with the iPhone 15 series, all new iPhones must use a USB-C charger.
