Apple may be facing a hefty fine imposed by the EU that could amount to 500 million EUR ($539 million) along with a ban on certain App Store rules related to music streaming apps. This news comes after Spotify filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in 2019, claiming that the App Store rules prevented developers from offering alternative payment options to customers.

The European Commission (EC) is expected to announce the fines in a ruling next month, stating that Apple violated EU antitrust law by creating unfair trading conditions for its rivals. This could be a significant blow to Apple, as the penalty could have been as high as 10% of the company’s revenue for the most recent fiscal year.

Despite changing its App Store rules in 2021 and launching a new policy in 2022, allowing “Reader apps” to direct subscribers to the web to make payments and bypass the “Apple Tax,” Spotify has claimed that these changes were merely for show.

In response, with the release of iOS 17.4, iPhone users in the EU will soon be allowed to sideload apps from third-party app stores and make in-app payments through alternative platforms. In-app purchases made through the EU App Store and processed through Apple’s platform will give the company a commission of 10%-17% of the transaction amount, down from the 15%-30% it collects elsewhere. However, Apple will not take any cut of in-app purchases processed through third-party platforms.

Furthermore, Apple has introduced a new Core Technology Fee for certain successful apps in the EU. Under this fee structure, developers who achieve exceptional scale on iOS in the EU will pay a Core Technology Fee of €0.50 (54 U.S. cents) for each first annual install over one million in the past 12 months.

This development showcases ongoing tensions between tech giants and regulatory bodies like the EU while also highlighting changes that could potentially impact how users interact with app stores and make payments on their devices. Stay tuned for further updates on this evolving situation!