The European Commission designated Apple as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act for its iOS and iPadOS platforms, as well as its App Store and its Safari browser. VisionOS is nowhere in that list, but Apple is getting ahead of the commission this time and has announced that apps for the headset distributed on the App Store in the EU can offer alternative payment options. As 9to5Mac notes, Apple made the announcement just before the Vision Pro is released in the region — the headset will be available in France and Germany starting on July 12.
For developers to be able to offer alternative payment methods outside of the App Store, visionOS version 1.2 is required. Developers can already offer alternative payment solutions on Apple’s other platforms in the EU, and in those cases, users are redirected to a third-party provider or a website to pay for their purchase or subscription. Chances are, that’s also how it’s going to work for the headset.
A few days ago, European Union officials said Apple breached DMA rules because there was nothing in its updated terms that allows developers to tell users how much less they could pay if they choose to use the alternative payment options they offer. Authorities started investigating Apple over its potential violation of the DMA’s anti-steering rules back in March. The results they released were merely preliminary findings, but if Apple is found guilty, the company may have to pay a fine worth up to 10 percent of its global annual revenue, or tens of billions of dollars.
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