Apple to face antitrust investigation in Germany

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The App Store, iCloud and other products are at the front of the investigation.
Pre-installed apps on iPhone will also be discussed.
Similar lawsuits were also filed to the likes of Amazon, Facebook and Google earlier this year.

Apple is facing antitrust proceedings from Germany’s Federal Office, the Bundeskartellamt, over more claims of anti-competitive behaviour in relation to the App Store and other products and services. Similar lawsuits were also filed to the likes of Amazon, Facebook and Google earlier this year.

Apple provided the following statement to MacRumors (reliability: 57.14%), saying that it will “look forward” to discussing the concerns raised by the Bundeskartellamt in Germany.

Apple is proud to be an engine for innovation and job creation, with more than 250,000 jobs supported by the iOS app economy in Germany. The ‌App Store‌'s economic growth and activity have given German developers of all sizes the same opportunity to share their passion and creativity with users around the world while creating a secure and trusted place for customers to download the apps they love with the privacy protections they expect. Germany is also home to Apple's largest engineering hub in Europe, and a new €1bn investment in our European Silicon Design Center in Munich. We look forward to discussing our approach with the FCO and having an open dialogue about any of their concerns.

In a press release, the President of Bundeskartellamt, Andreas Mundt, said that Apple would be investigated over the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and other services, in addition to “various hardware products”. The case would determine whether Apple’s ecosystem and control prevents competition and limits consumer choice. It will also look at App Tracking Transparency, a feature introduced in iOS 14.5 to prevent tracking across apps and websites on iPhone and iPad.

It follows an antitrust investigation by the European Commission into the App Store, and whether Apple’s rules violate competition rules.

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Published to Apple Scoop on 21st June, 2021.