Apple’s new rules are “a slap in the face of the European Commission” according to Proton

Apple announced a few days ago profound changes to its software ecosystem in order to comply with the new European regulation. These are clearly not unanimous, particularly among web service publishers.

Apple had no choice but to comply with European Union directives. After several years of procrastination, the Californian manufacturer announced new rules surrounding iOS, and in particular its software ecosystem, at the end of January. The “closed garden” that is the iPhone will open up further in March, with new possibilities offered to users and service publishers. However, Apple has accompanied its new provisions with constraints which make certain web players jump.

Drastic changes that go down badly with developers

To comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which comes into force at the beginning of March 2024, Apple has announced major changes to its rules of use. To quickly summarize the changes made by the manufacturer, we can cite the authorization of alternative mobile application stores, the authorization of alternative payment systems in applications, the opening of the NFC chip for mobile payment or even the reduction in commissions charged by the brand for each purchase.

Apple accompanied these provisions with new commercial conditions for developers, and these raised eyebrows. The brand has in fact added a new commission of €0.50 levied on each download (new installation or update) for software with more than a million users.

This new tax, called Core Technology Feefocuses all the criticism and many major tech companies, such as Netflix or Spotify, have not hesitated to express their hostility.

Online services provider Proton joins the list today, with a blog post from company founder and CEO Andy Yen.

Proton’s CEO lets loose and criticizes Apple’s new rules

In this long post, Andy Yen goes over point by point the various problematic measures put in place by Apple, which he compares to a “ slap in the face of the European Commission “.

The Core Technology Fee is the first new feature to be analyzed by Andy Yen. For him, the tax, applied to both paid and free applications, “ would be devastating for apps that are mostly free, like Proton Mail or ProtonVPN. Under this new system, app developers like Proton would potentially have to pay millions a year to Apple or stop offering a free app, which means we would have to stop guaranteeing privacy to people who don’t have any. not the means “.

Andy Yen also discusses the arrival of alternative payment systems, and in particular the different warnings displayed by iOS for each transaction. Apple will indeed indicate that the latter may not be protected as effectively as with the system provided by it, in order to discourage users before checking out. “ It’s as if Apple studied all the best practices developers used to maximize conversions, then reversed them to ensure the worst possible outcome », concludes Andy Wen.

The founder of Proton does not stop there and takes issue with the new conditions imposed on developers, which can be modified at any time by the brand, or the impossibility for the latter to return to Apple’s initial conditions after having chosen the new rules adapted to the DMA.

“ With this proposal, Apple signals that it is above the law and that Europe can do nothing to stop it. If the European Commission allows this situation to go unchallenged, it will be a decision that will have disastrous consequences for the future of Europe and the rest of the world. », concludes the boss of Proton.

Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, has already announced that his services will look into the adaptations proposed by Apple from March 7, and will not hesitate to take action if it is proven that the American manufacturer has tried to twist the DMA rules to its advantage.

Source : Proton