MOSCOW, August 28 (RAPSI) – The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS) has issued to Apple a notice of violation obliging the corporation to ensure competitive environment for developers of mobile applications, according to the body’s statement.
FAS says that Apple is to remove from its documentation the provisions giving it the right to close access to App Store for any third party applications even when those meet requirements set by the company.
The corporation also is to refrain from creating advantages for its own applications as concerns third party applications and must ensure that developers of parent control programs could distribute fully functional versions of their products via App Store.
Apple must comply with the notice until November 30, 2020 and report to FAS within five days after this deadline, the statement reads.
On August 10, the watchdog completed its antitrust probe into Apple Inc. launched on the application of Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity company alleging that Apple unfoundedly rejected the versions of Kaspersky Safe Kids (KSK) parent control program. As a result, a version of KSK lost an essential part of its functionality, the claim reads.
According to FAS, after starting distribution of its iOS 12 system with preinstalled Screen Time app in 2018, Apple began to pursue a consistent policy aimed at constraining instruments and means for development of parent control programs, what resulted in the loss of a better part of functionality of such programs by third party developers, whereas its own application with the similar functionality used technological means of the iOS unavailable for other developers.
Moreover, the watchdog states, Apple regulations for developers contain unclear provisions and provisions giving the corporation the right to close access to App Store for any third party applications even when those meet requirements set by the company.
In the course of the probe, FAS found out that Apple abused its market dominance as to developers of parent control programs.
