Facebook parent and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed doubt regarding Apple’s European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) compliance, which mandates the iPhone maker to loosen its App Store policies, including letting developers use their own payment systems.
Speaking during Meta’s Q4 earnings call on Thursday, Zuckerberg labeled Apple’s compliance measures as excessively difficult, casting doubt on their appeal to developers.
The DMA aims to foster competition within the app economy by enabling companies to operate their own app stores and handle their payments, potentially bypassing Apple’s traditional App Store tax.
However, Apple’s response to the DMA includes the introduction of new fees, such as a “Core Technology Fee,” that applies to developers opting for DMA’s provisions. This move is seen as away for Apple to earn revenue from app developers, even with lowered commissions.
Zuckerberg’s joining in on the criticism regarding Apple’s DMA implementation strategy. Companies like Epic Games, Spotify, Mozilla, and Microsoft have also voiced their disapproval, with Epic Games accusing Apple of “malicious compliance” and Spotify and Microsoft criticizing the company for imposing what they consider “junk fees” and taking a “step in the wrong direction,” respectively.
“I don’t think that the Apple thing is going to have any difference for us because I think that the way that they’ve implemented it, I would be very surprised if any developer chose to go into the alternative app stores that they have,” Zuckerberg said on the call to investors, according to TechCrunch. “They’ve made it so onerous, and I think, so at odds with the intent of what the EU regulation was that I think it’s just going to be very difficult for anyone — including ourselves — to really seriously entertain what they’re doing there.”
