EU threatens Apple with ‘strong action’ if App Store changes fall short

Apple faces strong action if changes to its App Store do not meet incoming European Union regulations, the EU’s industry chief threatened on Friday.
Martin Coulter, Foo Yun Chee, and Supantha Mukherjee for Reuters:
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In a move designed to comply with the EU’s incoming Digital Markets Act (DMA), the company will soon allow software developers to distribute their apps to Apple devices via alternative stores.
However, critics have said the changes do not go far enough, arguing Apple’s fee structure remains unfair, and that the changes may be in violation of the DMA.
Asked about Apple’s plans, EU industry chief Thierry Breton exclusively told Reuters: “The DMA will open the gates of the internet to competition so that digital markets are fair and open. Change is already happening. As from 7 March we will assess companies’ proposals, with the feedback of third parties.”
He added: “If the proposed solutions are not good enough, we will not hesitate to take strong action.”
Paulo Trezentos, CEO of alternative app store Aptoide, said: “We heard rumours some changes were coming, but we didn’t expect them to be this thorough. “This was definitely a good move, but the fees are still too high. We are preparing to send formal feedback to the European Commission.”

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MacDailyNews Take: Any fee that Apple charges to cover its costs and to make a profit will always seem “too high” to those looking for a free ride. Apple can charge any amount it wishes to charge as a properly run company will maximize commission based on what the market will bear.
How much did it cost developers to have their apps burned onto CDs, boxed, shipped, displayed on store shelves prior to Apple remaking the world for the better for umpteenth time? Apple incurs costs to store, review, organize, surface, and distribute apps to over one billion users. — MacDailyNews, June 10, 2022
That said, as we wrote in December 2022:
Those who want safety, security, and privacy will stick to Apple’s App Store, but a single point of control is always a danger, especially when it comes to capricious censorship (see: pre-Musk Twitter, Apple’s App Store in China, etc.).
iPhone and iPad users must, like Mac users, have the ability to install third-party apps; even if they never do, for it will keep Apple honest. The ability to ban an app loses all power when it’s simply available in another App Store.
These moves, including removing the mandate to use WebKit, Apple’s Safari browsing engine, in third-party browsers, will greatly reduce, if not eliminate, the threat of anti-trust actions against Apple for the foreseeable future.
Also, expect Gatekeeper to come to iOS and iPadOS from macOS.
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