Exclusive-Apple set to stave off daily fines, EU to accept App Store changes, sources say

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By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Apple’s changes to its App Store rules and fees will likely secure the green light from EU antitrust regulators, people with direct knowledge of the matter said, a move that would stave off potentially hefty daily fines for the iPhone maker.

The company last month said developers will pay a 20% processing fee for purchases made via the App Store, though the fees could go as low as 13% for Apple’s small-business program.

Developers who send customers outside the App Store for payment will pay a fee between 5% and 15%. They will also be able to use as many links as they wish to send users to outside forms of payment.

Apple made the changes after the EU antitrust enforcer handed it a 500 million euro ($586.7 million) fine in April, saying its technical and commercial restrictions prevented app developers from steering users to cheaper deals outside the App Store in breach of the Digital Markets Act.

The company was given 60 days to scrap the restraints to comply with the DMA aimed at reining in Big Tech and giving rivals more room to compete.

The European Commission is expected to approve the changes in the coming weeks, although the timing could still change, the people said.

“All options remain on the table. We are still assessing Apple’s proposed changes,” the EU watchdog said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company earlier this month said it had implemented the changes to avoid punitive daily fines, while criticising the Commission for mandating how it runs its store.

The company could have been hit with daily fines of 5% of its average daily worldwide revenue, or about 50 million euros per day.

($1 = 0.8554 euros)

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Jan Harvey)