MarketWatch: Apple will change its App Store practices in legal settlement
Apple Inc. will change its App Store policies in a legal settlement, the first major concession the iPhone maker has made amid multiple antitrust investigations.
In a proposed settlement of a 2019 class-action lawsuit from developers, Apple AAPL, 2.11% agreed to allow app makers to direct their consumers to payment options outside the App Store, which could allow them to avoid paying fees of up to 30% that Apple charges developers for online purchases in iOS apps. The company also agreed to a democratic approach to the App Store’s search function, greater pricing freedom and an annual transparency report about the companies’ app-review policies and their effects.
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At least one antitrust expert dismissed the agreement as an extension of the status quo. “This looks like class-action lawyers getting a $30 million check for doing Apple’s public relations work,” Matt Stoller, research director of the American Economic Liberties Project, told MarketWatch. “I see nothing here that constrains Apple in any meaningful way.”