In the wake of MacPaw’s decision to shut down Setapp Mobile, Apple and the European Commission are clashing over whose is to blame. Here are the details.
Apple accuses EU of dragging its feet to approve proposed changes
Last week, MacPaw announced it would shut down Setapp Mobile, which the company describes as “an alternative iOS marketplace that is available only in the EU”.
From MacPaw’s announcement:
Setapp Mobile is scheduled to sunset on February 16, 2026, due to still-evolving and complex business terms that don’t fit Setapp’s current business model.
The decision to sunset Setapp Mobile rekindled debate over Apple’s compliance with the DMA, which critics have long faulted for its complicated rules and questioned over whether it truly adheres to the law.
And while things had been looking more favorable for Apple, with recent reports indicating the EU was likely to accept Apple’s proposed changes, MacPaw’s decision to sunset Setapp Mobile appears to have shifted the conversation yet again.
As reported by Bloomberg:
In response to the Setapp shutdown, the commission is preparing to say that “Apple has not rolled out changes to address the key issues concerning its business terms, including their complexity,” according to remarks seen by Bloomberg. But Apple claims the shift to the new pricing structure hasn’t been implemented because of the commission itself. “The European Commission has refused to let us implement the very changes that they requested,” the company said in a statement. “In October, we submitted a formal compliance plan and they have yet to respond. The EC is using political delay tactics to mislead the public, move the goal posts, and unfairly target an American company with burdensome investigations and onerous fines.”
In other words, Apple is arguing that it has not rolled out its proposed App Store changes because the EU has yet to respond to them, so it shouldn’t be blamed for the fallout from Setapp Mobile’s shutdown.
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