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European Commission (EC) quietly closed A long-running antitrust investigation into Apple over the rules it enforces against developers of third-party e-books and audiobook apps.
The European Commission opened the investigation in 2020 after receiving complaints about how Apple was forcing developers of competing e-book and audiobook apps to use Apple’s in-app payment system, while also preventing them from informing customers of alternative methods of payment — a practice known as anti-steering. The European Commission opened a parallel investigation into similar practices In exchange Music streaming apps, a move that came as a result of complaints from Spotify.
Regarding music streaming, Apple was fined $2 billion in March. However, the complainant who was not identified in the e-book/audiobook aspect of the investigation has since withdrawn his complaint, prompting the Commission to close the investigation without further action.
“The closure of the investigation does not mean that the conduct in question is compatible with EU competition rules,” the announcement explained.
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