Apple (AAPL, Financial) scrambles to avert hefty EU fines as its 60-day Digital Markets Act deadline looms this Thursday.
Negotiations in Brussels are reportedly focused on loosening App Store steering rules—letting developers point users to external purchase options—and tweaking the Core Technology Fee that kicks in after a million installs.
In April, the European Commission slapped Apple with a €500 million fine for blocking cheaper app-linking alternatives, with penalties set to climb up to 5 % of average daily global revenue if noncompliance persists.
Meta Platforms (META, Financial) faces a similar crunch, having already paid a €200 million fine and adjusted its ad-model terms to sidestep fresh charges.
Apple plans to offer concessions that could buy more time to meet DMA requirements, even as it vows to appeal the initial sanction and accuses regulators of “moving the goalposts.”
EU officials are weighing whether those concessions satisfy the spirit of the law or merely delay enforcement. Meanwhile, developers and privacy advocates are watching closely—any carve-outs for steering or fee adjustments could reshape the App Store's economics and user experience across Europe.
Why It Matters: The outcome will set a precedent for how Big Tech meets Europe's push for platform openness—and could ripple through Apple's revenue streams and app ecosystem worldwide.
