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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Apple for allegedly violating antitrust law, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in a New Jersey federal court.The DOJ alleges that Apple has blocked and suppressed third-party developers from being able to offer competing apps and services on Apple’s iOS devices, such as digital wallets. It’s also allegedly taken steps to stop multifunctional apps and has made it harder for iPhone or Apple Watch users to move to an Android device, for example. The DOJ is also accusing Apple of purposely degrading interoperable message quality between iOS and Android devices, and reducing overall user privacy in an effort to retain its dominant market status. In a Thursday press conference, the DOJ alleged that Apple is violating Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, citing “exclusionary, anti-competitive conduct that hurts both consumers and developers.” The agency argues that Apple is simply “making other products worse.” The DOJ also says Apple is making consumers pay higher prices than if there was more market competition.“Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate the antitrust laws,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “We allege that Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market, not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits, but by violating federal antitrust law. If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.”
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Unsurprisingly, Apple sees things differently. “This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets,” an Apple spokesman said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal. “If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple—where hardware, software, and services intersect.” PCMag has reached out to Apple for additional comment.The US previously filed antitrust lawsuits against Amazon, Meta, and Google. Apple has faced an ongoing battle with Epic Games over its iOS App Store, with Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney repeatedly criticizing the iPhone maker for its practices over the years.
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