Connection with Apple is in the sights of American justice

The United States Department of Justice is interested in the Connect with Apple button, after an antitrust complaint from developers. This button was created with iOS 13 and makes it easier to connect to apps. It also strengthens respect for privacy.

Connection with Apple interests US justice after antitrust complaint

Developers who have complained about the Connect with Apple button are complaining about the practices. They are particularly obliged to use it if they put a button to connect with Facebook, Google, Twitter or another service. American justice therefore wants to investigate this point. She also wants to see if using this button makes it difficult for users who want to migrate to another platform, such as an Android smartphone or a Windows PC.

Two developers reveal to The Information that they preferred to completely remove the Facebook and Google connection buttons from their applications so as not to be forced to use Apple’s. They did this to prevent users from choosing Apple’s button. This would have prevented developers from collecting data.

The first complaints from developers date back to the summer of 2020. American justice is only interested in Connection with Apple today. This antitrust complaint against Apple joins others around the world. The latter mainly focus on anti-competitive practices of the App Store.