EU Commission urges Apple to end geo-blocking

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission said on Tuesday that member states' national authorities may take action against Apple if the US tech giant does not address its potentially prohibited geo-blocking practices on its media service that limit content based on users' geographical locations.

In a statement, the Commission said it has identified several potentially prohibited practices across Apple services, including the App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iTunes Store, Books and Podcasts. Apple restricts users to country-specific interfaces and payment methods and prevents app downloads from other EU countries.

The Commission has requested Apple to respond with proposed commitments to resolve these issues. The 2018 geo-blocking regulation aims to improve access to goods and services across the European Union and the European Economic Area.

Last week the Commission said it will assess whether Apple complies with the EU's Digital Markets Act regarding its operating system iPadOS.