Apple appeals €500 Million EU antitrust fine, calls it unlawful

Apple has officially appealed the €500 million fine from the EU. The European commission had found the company guilty of breaching the Digital Markets Act in April 2025.

According to the DMA, gatekeepers such as Apple should allow apps on the App Store to allow alternate payment options. Apple's scare tactics, which warned users about the risks of going to third party sources meant that it failed to meet these rules, and unsurprisingly it was accused of anti-steering practices. Meta was also slapped with a fine of €500 million for violating antitrust rules regarding its controversial way to offer ad-free services on Facebook, Instagram.

Last month, Apple changed its EU App Store policies to adhere with the law, and avoid incurring further penalties. These changes essentially allowed app developers options to promote/offer their digital services via external websites, other app marketplaces. Apple made some changes to commission fees, but also introduced a new fee called the Core Technology Commission, to make app developers pay 5% of all digital purchases made outside the App Store. It also retained the old Core Technology Fee, which mandates developers to pay €0.50 per download for each annual install over 1 million. Many people, including Epic Games' Tim Sweeney, said these changes were unlawful.

Now, a spokesperson for the company has released a statement that says Apple believes the European Commission's decision and the unprecedented fine are unlawful. Apple claims the EC is forcing it to run the App Store on its terms, which are confusing for developers and bad for users.

This isn't the first time Apple has run into issues with the law over its App Store policies. The Cupertino company faced a similar problem in the US in its lawsuit versus Epic Games. A US federal court ruled against Apple, though it took several appeals from both parties before the App Store rules were updated.

A few months ago, Apple lost an appeal in an antitrust case filed by the Federal Cartel Office in Germany, for operating in a closed ecosystem that prevented healthy competition. Shortly after that, Apple was also charged by Brazil's antitrust regulator, CADE, for its unfair transaction fees imposed on developers.

Last week, Apple appealed against the antitrust case which was filed by the U.S. Justice Department asking the court to dismiss the case, but the appeal was rejected. Apple sure can't catch a break.