• EU antitrust regulators are checking whether Apple’s proposal complies with their order for Spotify and other music streaming services to inform users of payment options outside their app shops.
  • Apple will face antitrust charges and new fines if its proposal fails to satisfy the European Union’s competition enforcement agency.
  • The EU’s competition enforcement agency issued the order last month and fined Apple 1.84 billion euro (US$2 billion)

The European Commission said on Monday that EU antitrust regulators are checking if an Apple proposal would comply with their order to let Spotify and other music streaming services inform users of payment options outside its App Store.

Apple’s proposal last week

According to Apple’s proposal, Swedish music streaming service Spotify and others could add a link to their websites informing users of other ways to purchase digital goods or services outside of the Apple App Store.

They may also invite users to provide an email address in order to send a link to the platform’s website to purchase digital music content or services.

However, links leading to digital purchases are subject to a 27% charge to Apple, which includes subsequent auto-renewal subscription fees.

Apple will face antitrust charges and new fines if the proposal it announced on Friday fails to satisfy the EU competition enforcer, which issued its order together with a 1.84 billion euro ($2 billion) fine last month.

“We are currently assessing whether Apple has fully complied with the decision,” a spokesperson for the Commission said.

Also read: Retro game emulators now allowed on the Apple App Store

Compliance

“In general, if the Commission suspects non-compliance with an adopted decision, it will send a statement of objections to the enterprise concerned.”

An Apple spokesperson said the company’s plan complied with the EU order and argued that the decision did not apply to Apple’s fee structure.

Spotify said it was still waiting for Apple to comply with the Commission’s decision, five weeks later.

The music streaming service has said it had to raise prices due to Apple’s allegedly abusive restrictions on iPhone apps.

Additionally, the European Commission is investigating the rules of Apple’s App Store, as well as Apple’s recently announced measures to comply with the EU’s new legislation, the Digital Markets Act.

Fearing that these regulations and various allegations could prevent developers from freely communicating and promoting their products.