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Spain Turns Up the Heat on Apple in Escalating Antitrust Case

By  |  July 29, 2025

Spain’s leading competition authority has announced an expanded investigation into Apple, intensifying scrutiny of the tech behemoth’s conduct in the European app market. According to EuroNews, the Spanish National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) is deepening its probe into whether Apple is using its dominant position to stifle competition and impose unfair terms on app developers.

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    The investigation originally began in July 2024, with regulators accusing Apple of setting unjust commercial conditions for developers distributing their apps through the App Store. At the time, the CNMC stated that Apple could be “abusing its dominant market position.”

    On Tuesday, the CNMC said it had uncovered “new evidence” suggesting that Apple mandates developers to follow a pricing structure determined by the company. Per EuroNews, the CNMC warned that such actions could limit competitive opportunities among app providers, potentially violating European Union competition laws. While the watchdog emphasized that the investigation’s expansion “does not prejudge the outcome,” it now has up to another year to reach a conclusion.

    Related: Apple Uses Supreme Court Ruling to Strengthen Antitrust Case Against App Store Order

    Apple, for its part, continues to reject the accusations. In a statement issued Tuesday, the company defended its App Store, describing it as a secure platform that fosters both user trust and developer success in Spain and globally. “We will continue to engage with the Spanish Competition Authority to ensure our concerns are fully understood,” the company added.

    The Spanish inquiry follows closely on the heels of broader European regulatory actions. As reported by EuroNews, the European Commission fined Apple over €1.8 billion last year after finding that the company restricted music streaming app developers from informing users about lower-cost subscription alternatives outside the App Store—a practice known as “anti-steering.”

    More recently, in April, the Commission concluded another investigation into Apple’s compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), after the company agreed to simplify the process for users to modify default app settings.

    Source: EuroNews