A man holds an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max ahead of the launch of sales of the new iPhone 16 series smartphones in a store in Moscow, Russia September 20, 2024.
Evgenia Novozhenina | Reuters
European Union regulators are taking steps to rein in Google and Apple on antitrust charges, even as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to hit the bloc with tariffs for alleged “overseas extortion” of America’s tech giants.
The European Commission, which is the executive body of the EU, said Wednesday that it found Google parent company Alphabet in breach of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) — a landmark law aimed at tackling tech competition issues — with its Search and Google Play products.
The bloc accused Google Search of treating Alphabet’s own services more favorably compared to rival ones — a practice known as “self-preferencing,” which is not permitted under the DMA.
The EU also said Google Play, Alphabet’s mobile app store, prevents app developers from freely steering consumers to alternatives.
Separately, the Commission also sent guidance to Apple under the DMA calling for the iPhone maker to take concrete steps to comply with its interoperability obligation under EU competition rules.
The bloc said that Apple should enable interoperability in its iOS mobile operating system in a way that allows third parties to “develop innovative products and services on Apple’s gatekeeper platforms.”
This breaking news story is being updated.