Apple gets EU warning for prohibited ‘geo-blocking practices’ on the App Store and other services

There’s yet another battle brewing between the European Union and Apple. In a press release today, the European Commission announced that it has “notified Apple” that it may be violating the EU’s anti-geo-blocking rules with Apple Media Services, including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and more.

The announcement from the EC comes following a “coordinated investigation” by the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities. The EC alleges that the CPC Network found “a number of limitations” on Apple Media Services that “unlawfully discriminate European consumers based on their place of residence.”

In particular, the CPC Network alleges that EU consumer face limitations related to online access of Apple Media Services, payment method discrepancies, and the availability of apps:

• Online access: Apple Media Services have a different interface for different countries in the EU/EEA. In the app version of these services, consumers are only allowed to access the interface made for the country where they have registered their Apple account and face significant challenges when attempting to change this, which is not allowed under EU’s anti-geo-blocking rules.
• Payment methods: When making paid purchases on Apple Media Services, consumers are only allowed to use means of payment (such as a credit/debit card) issued in the country where they registered their Apple account.
• Downloading: Since App Store does not allow consumers to access the version of another EU/EEA country, consumers are not allowed to download the apps offered in other countries. Consumers should be able to download apps offered in other EU/EEA countries when they travel to or temporarily stay in that country. 

While the European Commission’s announcement only broadly references the “Apple Media Services” category, this includes all of Apple’s relevant services such as the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, iCloud, Game Center, Apple Sports, and much more.

Apple now has one month to respond to the CPC Network’s findings and “propose commitments on how they will address the identified geo-blocking practices.” The CPC Network may then “enter into a dialogue” with Apple. If Apple fails to address the concerns, however, the European Commission can take enforcement action against the company.

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