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What Apple was fined for
On April 23, 2025, the Commission fined Apple €500 million for breaching the DMA’s anti-steering obligation, Article 5(4). The Commission said Apple’s App Store terms restricted developers from telling users about cheaper offers, directing them to purchases outside the App Store, or completing such transactions without disproportionate restrictions or fees. It ordered Apple to end the non-compliant conduct within 60 days. The decision and deadline are described in the Commission announcement and the EUR-Lex case summary.
This is an existing penalty, not a newly announced 2026 fine. The Commission’s case summary says continued failure to comply with the order could lead to periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of average daily worldwide turnover, within the DMA’s legal framework. That possibility is distinct from a new fine for a separate infringement.
Why more enforcement remains possible
The Commission’s April 2026 DMA enforcement report said four non-compliance investigations were still ongoing, after two investigations had resulted in fines and one Apple investigation had closed without a non-compliance finding. That report establishes continued enforcement activity, not that every open case will end in a penalty or that a new Apple decision has a set timetable. See the Commission’s April 2026 report.
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The most clearly documented unresolved Apple track concerns Article 6(4), which addresses alternative app distribution. On April 23, 2025, the Commission issued preliminary findings about Apple’s terms for developers seeking to distribute apps outside the App Store, and opened an additional non-compliance investigation. Preliminary findings are not a final decision that Apple violated the DMA. The Commission’s announcement is here; later Commission reporting discusses the Article 6(4) matter in its 2026 report and accompanying staff document.
Alternative app stores, fees and installation friction
The Commission’s concerns include the Core Technology Fee and other financial terms, eligibility rules for developers and alternative marketplaces, and the steps users must take to install apps from alternative stores or developers’ websites. The underlying issue is whether these conditions are necessary and proportionate, or make alternatives so costly or difficult that developers and users have little practical reason to use them.
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Apple’s EU terms have changed, so the older shorthand that the Core Technology Fee is simply “€0.50 per install” should not be treated as a complete description of the terms now applicable to every developer. Apple’s developer documentation says that from January 1, 2026, a technology charge may be billed separately as a commission or included as a component of another commission in certain cases. The applicable arrangement depends on the developer’s terms and distribution choices; Apple sets out its current explanation on its pages for apps in the EU and the Core Technology Fee.
Apple says it has introduced EU-specific options for alternative marketplaces, web distribution, third-party payments, commissions and developer terms. It also says iOS and iPadOS 18.6 updated the user experience for installing alternative marketplaces and apps from developers’ websites. Those are Apple’s stated measures, not confirmation that the Commission has accepted every term or found effective compliance.
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Why commercial viability matters
For a developer, formal permission to use another distribution route is not the same as a workable business alternative. Fees, eligibility requirements, installation warnings and steps, support obligations and the likelihood that users complete an install can all affect whether a route is commercially worthwhile. For consumers, the practical test is whether more distribution and payment choices lead to meaningful options, rather than merely appearing in the rules.
Interoperability is a separate enforcement track
Article 6(7) requires gatekeepers to provide third parties access to operating-system hardware and software features on terms that enable effective competition with the gatekeeper’s own services and devices. For Apple, the Commission has pursued specification proceedings concerning iOS interoperability with connected devices and the process for handling third-party requests. The resulting decisions address capabilities including notifications, pairing, Wi-Fi-related functions and background execution. The Commission’s interoperability portal explains the process, and the Apple specification decision sets out requirements.
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A specification decision explains what the Commission expects a gatekeeper to do; it is not itself a finding that Apple has already breached the DMA. The published measures include deadlines such as June 1, 2026 for some notification and pairing steps, requirements tied to iOS 26 or later releases for certain connected-device capabilities, and at least one implementation horizon extending to June 1, 2027. A deadline passing does not automatically produce a fine: the Commission must assess implementation and follow the applicable enforcement process. The Commission’s deadline materials provide further detail.
Where the Siri dispute fits
Apple’s decision not to release its new Siri AI experience to EU iPhone and iPad users has intensified the debate about access to platform capabilities, but the Commission’s public Q&A does not identify a Siri-specific DMA violation. It says the DMA does not prevent Apple from launching products or services in the EU and that the decision not to release Siri AI there was Apple’s. If Apple gives its own service access to relevant operating-system capabilities, interoperability rules may require equivalent access for third parties, subject to user consent and other legal requirements. Siri is therefore part of the wider dispute about interoperability, security and privacy—not proof that a Siri-related fine is imminent. See the Commission’s DMA Q&A.
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What penalties the DMA allows
A fine is only one possible enforcement outcome. Under the DMA, the Commission can make a non-compliance decision, order a company to stop the conduct, require remedial changes, and impose periodic penalty payments for failure to comply with an order. The law allows fines of up to 10% of worldwide annual turnover for an infringement and up to 20% in certain repeat-infringement circumstances. In extreme cases, it also provides for structural or other non-financial remedies. These are statutory ceilings and powers, not forecasts of what Apple will face. The DMA regulation and the Commission’s citizen Q&A describe the framework.
The eventual response depends on the specific conduct, its duration and gravity, Apple’s cooperation and prior conduct, and whether it follows any order. A preliminary finding, an investigation, or a specification decision does not establish that the maximum fine—or any fine—will follow.
What this means for developers, users and investors
For developers
The central business question is whether alternative distribution or payment routes can support sustainable economics after applicable fees, onboarding and compliance costs, and the effort needed to reach users. Developers should compare the terms that apply to their own category and channel rather than assume a single EU fee structure. Commission scrutiny may change those terms, but the investigation itself does not guarantee a particular fee reduction or outcome.
For iPhone and iPad users
DMA obligations apply to designated services and the relevant European market; they do not mean every Apple service or product is covered in the same way. The Commission has designated Apple’s App Store, iOS, Safari and iPadOS under the DMA’s gatekeeper framework. Alternative app marketplaces and web distribution may expand choice, while installation controls and security checks remain part of the practical experience. The regulatory question is whether safeguards are applied consistently without making permitted alternatives unusable.
For investors
The €500 million fine is a known 2025 enforcement cost; the timing and financial effect of any additional action are not established by the cited public materials. Potential exposure includes penalties, required changes to commercial terms, and implementation costs. Conversely, changes that make alternative channels more usable could alter how developers distribute and monetize apps in the EU. The open proceedings create uncertainty, not a reliable basis for assigning a specific future fine.
Quick Recap
What to watch next
- A final decision on alternative distribution: whether the Commission converts its preliminary concerns into a formal non-compliance decision, modifies its view, or closes the matter.
- Evidence of usable alternatives: whether developers can reach customers through other channels on commercially workable terms and whether users can install apps without disproportionate friction.
- Interoperability implementation: whether Apple delivers the specified capabilities on the applicable timelines and whether third parties can use them effectively.
- Formal enforcement announcements: a new penalty requires an official decision; ongoing scrutiny or Apple’s announcement of changes alone is not one.
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