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In a press release dated April 22, 2025, the EU’s European Commission announced that it has fined Apple and Meta hundreds of millions of euros each for breaches of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), with Apple’s failure to comply centering on the company’s App Store anti-steering restrictions.

(What’s the DMA? Read more and get helpful links in this November 2023 post, Potential Apple App Store Policy Changes Due to EU’s Digital Markets Act.)

‘Apple Breached Its Anti-Steering Obligation’

According to the press release, the Commission found that Apple’s steering terms restrict app developers from fully benefiting from alternative distribution channels, while also restricting consumers from fully benefiting from “alternative and cheaper offers” since Apple also doesn’t allow developers to directly inform consumers of those other options. 

The announcement also states that Apple failed to demonstrate that their anti-steering restrictions are “objectively necessary and proportionate,” resulting in the €500 million fine and an order to “remove the technical and commercial restrictions on steering and to refrain from perpetuating the non-compliant conduct in the future.”

The fines against Apple and Meta (who was fined €200 million for its “binary ‘Consent or Pay’ advertising model”) were imposed as part of decisions reached after the Commission entered into “extensive dialogue with the companies concerned allowing them to present in detail their views and arguments.” To avoid penalty payments, both companies must comply within 60 days.

The press release mentions that besides closing its investigation into Apple for issues with alternative app distribution, it was also closing its investigation into Apple concerning Apple’s user choice obligations under the DMA. A separate press release states that the closure of those investigations was the result of “a constructive dialogue with Apple.”

Google Recently Received Preliminary Findings Similar to Apple’s June 2024 Warning

Per the April 2025 press release, the fine levied against Apple for app steering issues is the result of an investigation launched by the Commission in March 2024, with preliminary findings from that investigation sent to Apple in June 2024. 

The same March 2024 press release that announced the Apple app-steering investigation also announced a similar investigation into Alphabet for Google’s Play Store anti-steering practices. 

The Commission’s preliminary findings in the Google investigation have only recently been sent to Alphabet per a March 2025 press release. While that announcement does not mention possible fines and clarifies that the outcome of the investigation was not yet settled, the original March 2024 announcement — which included Apple for similar anti-steering concerns — outlines the possible fines, which have now ultimately been handed down to Apple. It is unclear whether Google will be fined in a similar manner, as that investigation is ongoing. 

For more information about Apple’s €500 million fine and quotes from Commission members, view the original press release on the European Commission’s website.

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Katie Stephan
Katie Stephan Author
Katie Stephan is the Senior Content Strategist at FastSpring. Besides her extensive marketing experience, she has an MFA in creative nonfiction writing and has served her local communities as a college writing instructor.
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