Following years of regulatory wrangling, the European Commission is reportedly using Apple’s App Store changes as a reference point in its Google Play Store probe. Here are the details.
Why can’t you be more like your brother?
In an exclusive report, Reuters said today that Google ”is set to be hit with a potentially large EU fine early next year if it does not do more to ensure that its app store complies with EU rules aimed at ensuring fair access and competition,” according to their sources.
This probably sounds familiar to 9to5Mac readers, because the EC slapped Apple with a € 500 million fine earlier this year under the Digital Markets Act, which the company is currently appealing.
This was just one chapter of the convoluted back-and-forth that eventually led Apple to announce sweeping changes to the App Store, a move which the EU is largely expected to finally consider within the scope of the DMA.
And while the EU is yet to publicly signal one way or the other when it comes to Apple, it is reportedly using Apple’s changes as a benchmark behind the scenes.
Here’s Reuters:
Tweaks to Google Play announced in August to make it easier for app developers to direct customers to other channels and choose a fee model are still falling short, the people said, with the EU antitrust regulator viewing Apple’s recent changes to its App Store as a benchmark.
These tweaks include cutting its “initial acquisition fee” from 10% down to 3%, a two-tier model for transactions and IAPs, a fee for installs that are external to its Play Store, and more.
While an apples-to-apples (get it?) comparison to the proposed App Store changes is difficult, since both companies have proposed rather convoluted frameworks, Apple’s approach now appears to be the regulator’s model, something that would have seemed unimaginable just a few months ago.
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