European Union: Announced European Commission investigation into Apple concerning its offered choice of services under the Digital Markets Act

On 25 March 2024, the European Commission announced an investigation into Apple concerning its offered choice of services under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In particular, the investigation concerns Article 6(3) of the DMA, which stipulates that gatekeepers, such as Apple, must ensure that users can easily change or uninstall software applications from its operating system. The Commission will investigate Apple’s compliance with its obligations to ensure the simple uninstallation of software applications on iOS, the change of default settings as well as its obligation to prompt users with choice screens in order to allow the selection of alternative default services, for example, the browser or the search engine, on their iPhones. The Commission aims to conclude the investigation within 12 months.