THE DMA standoff between Apple and European regulators shows no sign of abating, as Setapp Mobile confirms it will terminate its iOS operations. Apple in a rare rebuke accuses European regulators of “political delay tactics” and of moving the goalposts to justify heavy fines, while stressing that its commercial terms remain in flux and are incompatible with Setapp’s model.
The European Commission has attributed Setapp’s failure to Apple’s alleged intransigence, though Apple says it submitted a formal compliance strategy in October last year and that the Commission has offered only stony silence. Apple notes that, despite allowing third‑party app stores in theory, it has erected barriers such as the Core Technology Fee of €0.50 for every initial annual installation after one million downloads.
It has also proposed a revised model, the Core Technology Commission, operating on a 5% revenue‑sharing basis, but the EU has deferred approval of this system. An EU spokesperson said continuous dialogue is being maintained to find a solution fully aligned with the DMA while acknowledging developers’ grievances.