The EU has a problem with the iPhone Photos app: the reasons

© Unsplash/Christian Lue

To comply with the Digital Markets Act, Apple has already made many profound changes to its iOS operating system. Among the measures taken by the Cupertino company, there is the possibility of downloading applications from third-party application stores, or the possibility for payment apps (other than Apple Pay) to use the NFC module of the Iphone. However, Apple's announcements are far from satisfying the European Commission which, at the end of March, opened a procedure on the compatibility of Apple, Alphabet and Meta with the Digital Markets Act.

And one of the points that bothers the European Commission, as far as Apple is concerned, is the fact that some applications preinstalled on the iPhone still cannot be uninstalled. As noted by the Daring Fireball website, this is one of the issues raised by Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president of the Commission, during a speech regarding the ongoing investigations.

During this speech, she recalled that section 6(3) of the Digital Marlets Act requires companies considered to be gatekeepers to make their apps easy to uninstall and facilitate the changing default settings. She subsequently mentioned Apple which “failed to make several apps uninstallable (one would be Photos) and prevents end users from changing their default status (e.g. Cloud), such as #8217;requires DMA.”

Numerous investigations underway

The current investigations focus on different aspects of the Apple and Google ecosystems. The Commission verifies, for example, that Apple and Google do not limit the possibility for app developers to communicate with their users, to present offers outside the app stores. The Commission will also determine whether Google uses its search engine to promote services such as Google Shopping, Google Flights or Google Hotels. Brussels is also investigating the possibility of uninstalling Apple apps from the iPhone, and the possibility for users to change the default settings on iOS.

In addition, This one looks at the design of the choice screen, a feature that Apple implemented to give users alternatives to Safari as their default browser. Otherwise, other proceedings are underway regarding the pricing structure that Apple imposes on developers who use third-party application stores or who offer their apps directly from a website, for the iPhone.

Regarding Meta, the European Commission is investigating the group's “pay or consent” model. In the European Union, Meta offers Facebook and Instagram users the option to no longer be subject to its advertising targeting, provided they pay a subscription.

• The measures announced by Apple, Alphabet and Meta to comply with the Digital Markets Act do not satisfy the European Commission, which recently opened investigations
• Regarding Apple, the Commission discusses the fact that certain iPhone applications, including Photos, cannot be uninstalled
• Brussels also looks at Apple's financial conditions for developers who want to distribute their applications outside the App Store

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