Apple must treat all apps the same, says Margrethe Vestager

Margrethe Vestager believes that Apple should treat all apps the same, whether it’s its own or those in the App Store. The European competition commissioner explains that a failure on the part of Apple on this subject would cause him trouble.

Same treatment for all applications

Apple will offer with iOS 14.5 a pop-up allowing users to accept or refuse to be tracked by a particular application. This is a positive point for the privacy of users and those who wish to have a little more control over it. Some groups, especially Facebook, have criticized this decision by Apple. The social network assures that the change with iOS 14.5 will hurt the income of small businesses. However, a recent analysis by Harvard shows that this is not entirely correct.

“It can be competition if it is shown that Apple does not treat its own applications the same way”, Margrethe Vestager told Reuters. In other words, Apple could face antitrust lawsuits if its apps have an advantage over third-party apps.

But Margrethe Vestager notes that the European Commission has so far received no complaint against Apple. “It’s a very good thing to have a clear opt-out option. If you look at the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, these are some of the solutions we are considering ”, she added.