Apple appeals EU's €500m fine for App Store anti-steering practices, calls it "far beyond what the law requires"

Apple is appealing the €500m (£429m) fine it received from the European Union in April over the restrictions it places on app developers wishing to use alternative purchase methods, insisting the punitive measure is “far beyond what the law requires”.

The European Union hit Apple with the fine after accusing the company of violating its Digital Markets Act (DMA), a piece of legislation intended to ensure major tech platforms behave fairly and in a way that doesn’t stifle competition. Specifically, the EU had taken issue with Apple’s “anti-steering” practices, which restrict iOS app developers’ ability to link to alternative purchase methods away from its own App Store, where it takes a 30 percent cut.

At the time the fine was announced, the European Commission (the EU’s executive branch) said the restrictions Apple imposed on app developers meant they weren’t able to “fully benefit from the advantages of alternative distribution channels outside the App Store”, while customers were similarly unable to “benefit from alternative and cheaper offers as Apple prevents app developers from directly informing consumers of such offers”. Apple was then given 60 days to “remove the technical and commercial restrictions on steering and to refrain from perpetuating the non-compliant conduct in the future”, or it would face further fines.

Apple responded by claiming it was being “unfairly targeting” by the EU, and that the measures it was being asked to implement were “bad for the privacy and security of our users, bad for products, and force us to give away our technology for free.” It also promised to appeal the fine.