European Union regulators said the tech giants likely violated the law by unfairly boxing out smaller competitors, adding to tensions between Europe and the United States
European Union regulators on Wednesday ramped up their efforts to force Apple and Google to change key parts of their businesses, despite potential pushback from the Trump administration over the regulation of American tech companies.
The European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-nation bloc, said Apple and Google had violated a law passed in 2022 intended to ensure fair competition in the digital economy.
The decisions add a new layer to geopolitical tensions between the United States and European Union on issues ranging from trade and tariffs to Ukraine and military defense.
The commission said a preliminary judgment found that Google had violated the 2022 law, called the Digital Markets Act, by using its dominant search engine to steer users to other Google services, giving it an unfair advantage over other online companies. Regulators also accused the tech giant of unfair restrictions on its Google Play app store that limited the offers customers could receive from app developers.
Apple was told to make it easier for makers of headsets, smartwatches and other connected devices to sync with Apple’s iOS mobile operating system.
“Companies operating in the E.U., irrespective of their place of incorporation, must comply with E.U. rules, including the Digital Markets Act,” Teresa Ribera, the executive vice president of the European Commission in charge of competition policy, said in a statement. “With these decisions, we are simply implementing the law.”