EU authorities order Apple to end geo-blocking practices

The Geo-blocking Regulation was adopted by European Members back in 2018 to ensure unified access to goods and services for individuals and businesses across the EU/EEA. It applies to all app stores operating in the EU Single Market, including the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Today, the European Commission notified Apple to stop practicing prohibited geo-blocking on the App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iTunes Store, Books, and Podcasts. Apple is now requested to align its practices with the EU's anti-geo-blocking rules.

This new direction to Apple came as a result of a coordinated investigation by national authorities in Belgium (Directorate General for Economic Inspection), Germany (Bundesnetzagentur), and Ireland (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission) under the coordination of the European Commission. The investigation found the following limitations for consumers 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 now reply to the findings and commit to fixing the identified geo-blocking practices. If Apple fails to address the concerns, the authorities will take enforcement measures to ensure compliance. It will be interesting to see how Apple responds to these concerns and what measures it will take to ensure compliance with the Geo-blocking Regulation.