European Commission tells Apple to stop geo-blocking practices

Apple is once again in hot water with the European Commission (EC). The body has issued a call for Apple to stop geo-blocking practices in its App Store, in Apple Arcade, Apple Music, the iTunes Store, as well as the Books and Podcasts apps. The EC together with the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities in the EU asked Apple to align its practices with the EU's anti-geo-blocking rules.

The CPC Network found that Apple Media Services (which is an umbrella term referring to all of the aforementioned Apple services) have a different UI for different countries in the EU and EEA. In the app versions of these services, consumers are only allowed to access the interface made for the country where they have 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.

Furthermore, when making purchases on Apple Media Services, consumers can only use cards issued in the country where they registered their Apple account, and finally, consumers are not allowed to download the apps offered in other countries. The EC and CPC Network insist that consumers "should be able to download apps offered in other EU/EEA countries when they travel to or temporarily stay in that country".

The geo-blocking regulations prohibit unjustified discrimination between EU customers on the basis of their nationality, residence, or place of establishment when they want to buy goods and services from traders located in a different EU country. The investigation was led by Belgium's Directorate General for Economic Inspection, Germany's Bundesnetzagentur, and Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, under the coordination of the EC.

Apple now has a month to reply to these findings and propose commitments on how it will address the identified geo-blocking practices. If Apple fails to address these concerns, the national consumer protection authorities can take enforcement measures to ensure compliance.