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Apple will reportedly face charges in EU over App Store dominance

The argument would be that Apple restricted music streaming services other than its own.

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The EU is reportedly looking into Apple over antitrust concerns. 

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The European Union will reportedly bring formal charges against Apple over antitrust concerns relating to the App Store and its music streaming service Apple Music , the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter. 

The EU reportedly plans to argue that Apple restricted music streaming services other than its own Apple Music, thereby putting rivals at a disadvantage and leaving consumers with fewer options.

The news comes as the UK is also investigating Apple's terms and conditions for app developers. The investigation will cover whether the terms are unfair, and whether they violate the UK's competition laws. 

 In 2019, Spotify accused Apple of using its App Store policies to hold Spotify back, since the service competed directly with its Apple Music. It also criticized Apple for taking a 30% cut of subscriptions. In June, the EU's competition commission opened two antitrust probes focusing on Apple Pay and the App Store.

Apple didn't comment but referred to a 2019 blog post disputing Spotify's claims, saying that everyone in the App Store is playing by the same set of rules. 

Representatives for the EU commission declined to comment.