Apple Fined Nearly $2 Billion By The EU For Hindering Music Streaming Competition

LONDON (AP) — The European Union has fined Apple nearly $2 billion by forbidding rivals like Spotify from telling users how they could pay for cheaper subscriptions outside of iPhone apps.

Monday’s move is the 27-nation bloc’s first antitrust penalty against the U.S. tech giant.

The EU’s executive commission says Apple muzzled streaming services from telling people about payment options available through their websites.

That would avoid the 30% fee charged when people pay through apps downloaded with the iOS App Store.

A complaint from Spotify triggered the investigation amid a yearslong feud with Apple over music streaming supremacy.

Apple says the EU didn’t “uncover any credible evidence of consumer harm” and vowed to appeal.