The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets is investigating Apple just weeks after Spotify asked the European Union to look into the iPhone-maker. The investigation wants to determine whether Apple is offering “preferential treatment to its own apps”, focusing mostly on Apple’s App Store.
While Apple has surpassed Spotify in numbers of subscribers in the US, the move is likely one more episode in the saga of the two companies battling online and offline.
App providers say they do not always have a fair chance against Apple’s own apps or against apps that Google has pre-installed on phones — ACM
Apple, as well as Google, are charging a rather large fee for in-app purchases. Developers are complaining because of the wau the system is being designed, in many cases, charging 30 percent of the earnings. “These problems, together with the indications submitted by app providers, are sufficient reason for ACM to launch an investigation into Apple’s behavior”, said the Authority.
