Apple is investigated by EU for its geoblocking practices

The Geo-blocking Regulation was enacted by European Members in 2018 to provide unified access to products and services for persons and enterprises throughout the EU/EEA. It covers all app stores that operate in the EU Single Market, including the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

The European Commission told Apple today that it must stop using banned geo-blocking on the App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iTunes Store, Books, and Podcasts. Apple has now been asked to comply with the EU's anti-geoblocking guidelines.

This new strategy for Apple resulted from a concerted probe by national authorities in Belgium, Germany, and Ireland, with the European Commission coordinating the effort. The analysis revealed the following constraints for customers in the EU/EEA:

• Online access: Apple Media Services have different interfaces for different countries in the EU/EEA. In the app versions of these services, consumers are only allowed to access the interface made for the country where they registered their Apple account and face significant challenges when attempting to change this, which is not allowed under the EU's anti-geo-blocking rules.
• Payment methods: When making paid purchases on Apple Media Services, consumers are only allowed to use payment methods (such as a credit/debit card) issued in the country where they registered their Apple account.
• Downloading: Since the App Store does not allow consumers to access the version of another EU/EEA country, consumers cannot download apps offered in other countries. Consumers should be able to download apps offered in other EU/EEA countries when they travel to or temporarily stay in that country.

Apple should immediately respond to the findings and commit to addressing the alleged geoblocking practices. If Apple fails to rectify the issues, authorities will take enforcement action to ensure compliance. It would be fascinating to watch how Apple addresses these issues and what steps it will take to assure compliance with the Geo-blocking Regulation.