France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Greece are preparing to test a new age verification system as part of the EU’s push to regulate how children access online content. Here are the details.
Expand Expanding Close
Google on Friday released a major update for Google Maps users on iOS, at least for those in the European Union. With the latest version of the app, iPhone users can now set Google Maps as their default navigation app, completely replacing Apple Maps.
Expand Expanding Close
Last year, when Apple announced iOS 18, the company revealed that some features like Apple Intelligence wouldn’t be available to users in the European Union due to regulatory concerns. Although iOS 18.4 enables Apple Intelligence in the EU, there’s still one feature that will remain unavailable there: iPhone Mirroring.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple last year announced an important change coming to the App Store in the EU that would force developers to share their contact information with customers in some cases. Now that the deadline has arrived, Apple is removing apps from developers who haven’t shared their ‘trader’ contact information from the EU App Store.
Expand Expanding Close
As previously reported, Apple will no longer sell the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE in the European Union due to local legislation that requires all smartphones sold there to have a USB-C port. After removing these models from the online store in some countries such as Switzerland, Apple has now ended sales of the iPhone 14 and SE in most EU countries.
Expand Expanding Close
With the announcement of the new iMac earlier today, Apple also released iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 – both with the first set of Apple Intelligence tools. But the company also confirmed on Monday that Apple Intelligence is coming to iPhone and iPad users in the EU early next year.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple last year introduced the ability for third-party web browsers to add web apps to the iOS Home Screen, a feature that was previously exclusive to Safari. However, these web apps still depend on Apple’s WebKit. But Apple is changing that with iOS 18.2 – at least for a specific group of users.
Expand Expanding Close
As a result of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust legislation in the EU, Apple has had to change how iOS and the App Store work for users in European countries. And there are more changes coming with iOS 18.2. More specifically, iPhone and iPad users will soon be able to delete the App Store, Safari, and many other built-in iOS apps.
Expand Expanding Close
As we reported in August, a change coming to the App Store in the European Union would force developers to provide a public address and phone number that would become visible to customers in the region. As of today, the change has come into effect and developers are required to provide this data to Apple.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple on Thursday began reminding developers of another change coming to the App Store in the European Union. This one, however, has been considered quite controversial. As of October, developers considered “traders” will have to provide updated address and phone number data, which will now appear to everyone in the EU App Store.
Expand Expanding Close
Back in April, we learned that the EU would force Apple to bring the same App Store changes to iPad that previously arrived for iPhone. Those include app sideloading, alternative app payment, alternative browser engine support, and more. Now the second iPadOS 18 beta brings the ability to test those EU changes on iPad for the first time.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple is set to release iOS 17.4 to the public next week with a major update for EU users that allows third-party app stores and more. Now ahead of the Digital Markets Act going into effect, Apple has shared the most up-to-date and comprehensive resource about all the changes and its approach and “efforts to protect user security and privacy in the European Union.”
Expand Expanding Close
Many developers and tech companies didn’t react well to the changes proposed by Apple last month to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust legislation, and Mark Zuckerberg is on that team. The Meta CEO said on Thursday that he doubts developers will opt in to the new “onerous” terms set by Apple in the EU.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple recently announced a series of measures to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust legislation, which includes allowing alternative app stores on the iPhone. To make sure developers understand what’s changing, Apple will let them request a consultation on the new guidelines announced last month.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple has officially announced that sideloading will be available for EU users with iOS 17.4. Along with the major change, Apple has detailed how it will label apps from third-party app stores to inform and protect EU users, and the features that will be missing when sideloading.
Expand Expanding Close
This year we’ve seen rumors that predict Apple’s USB-C on the yet-to-be-released iPhone 15 will be limited when it comes to data and charging speeds for non-MFi cables. Trying to prevent that – at least for the EU – commissioner Thierry Breton has given a warning to Apple four months ahead of the usual iPhone event.
Expand Expanding Close
As European Union officials work on the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that formally went into effect last fall, a stakeholder workshop was held today by the European Commission to get input on “app store related provisions.” Spotify was one of the panelists and it shared three changes it feels Apple must be forced to make in the EU.
Expand Expanding Close
The EU legislation to mandate a common smartphone charger is now a done deal. After it looked like it would pass back in June, the Council of Ministers ratified the vote in October. Today the law has been officially signed and published with a December 2024 deadline for all new smartphones sold in Europe to use USB-C.
Expand Expanding Close
The European Union on Thursday night unveiled more details about its plans to curb anti-competitive practices among big tech companies. With the rules of the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), Europe wants all major messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and iMessage to have an interoperable platform.
Expand Expanding Close
The French government is taking both Apple and Google to court, accusing the companies of ‘abusive trade practices’ in the way that they treat developers.
Reporting on the case is light on detail, but France appears to have three objections to the way the relationship works between app stores and developers …
Called before the European Parliament’s tax committee yesterday to explain its tax arrangements, Apple’s VP of European operations denied that the company received illegal state aid, reports Bloomberg.
“We feel that we’ve paid every cent of tax that is due in Ireland,” Cathy Kearney said at the European Parliament in Brussels. “We don’t feel that there has been state aid involved and I suppose we look forward to that outcome happening at the end of the day and being vindicated in that way. I would say that the Irish government also agrees with that view.”
Kearney also denied suggestions that the special tax deal with the Irish company was the reason it had chosen the country as its European HQ …
With a long-running investigation into the legality of Apple’s tax arrangements in Europe not expected to end any time soon, the company will come under additional pressure tomorrow when it is called before the European Parliament’s tax committee.
The European Union warned us this week not to expect a speedy conclusion to the long-running investigation into the legality of Apple’s tax arrangements in Europe. The delay follows a decision back in December to expand the scope of the investigation.
But while the wheels of EU tax investigations may grind exceedingly slowly, I’d be willing to wager quite large sums of money on the final outcome. It looks to me increasingly clear that Apple’s tax arrangements with the Irish government are going to be declared illegal, and that Apple is going to be faced with a significant bill for unpaid tax …
