Apple Under Pressure to Remove Geo-Blocking Restrictions in the EU

[Aoligei]

The EU is nothing more than a legalized mafia at this point. Once again they miraculously find new things Apple and other (American compnies) may be guilty of and decide to apply retroactive fines.

Once again I'm left wishing Apple had a CEO who would tell the EU to **** off. This is just asinine.

Classic “American First, American Best” mentality that lots of non-American despise.

Europe doesn’t need Apple, iOS only account for 1/3 of overall market share. However, Europe account for 27% of Apple’s net sales. It is Apple needs access to European market than Europe needs Apple.

You guys all acts like Apple should pull out Europe because of European overreach, Apple should pull out from China because of CCP. But you guys never think two market combined account for 43% of all net-sales. Just think how shareholders and investors will think losing 43% of sales.

 

[Aoligei]

Wait till end of Jan, US will start retaliating against EU companies. EU will fold like a cheap tent.

If you think trade war is way to go and way to do business, then you do you.

Trump’s trade war won’t bring jobs back to America, nor it will protect American companies from competition. It will only destroy trust and relation between America and its allies.

I suppose as hardcore Chinese nationalists, it maybe a good thing. Consider Trump is corrupted criminal, China can just bribes Trump via deals that Trump like.

American elected a convicted criminal as their president, what a joke. Democracy works my a$$, America is dis-functional, America talk about democracy, laugh my ass off.

 

[tranceme]

As developer, this feature is helping for working in different countries.

It is not a mandatory feature. The publishers of the app simply can tick the geoblocking box or not. Far too much do it, just because they can. It is indeed stupid, to prohibit users do download a shopping app from a foreign country, just because they want to sell their stuff at higher prices in a different country...

But it is a good move: Not letting me download Apple VisionPro apps in a country, that does not sell the VisionPro yet ist utterly stupid. I can buy the VisionPro in another country and bring it home in a not yet allowed country.

Well....then Apple will get beat up for providing apps in countries the device is not supported. I can already see this EU saying you can't provide apps for equipment not available in the EU (I know, probably stretching).

And, maybe at times, there are regulatory issues in that country. As a developer, it's a great feature to block countries for access or where you want to provide a different version. Example, in China, you can't provide an app that uses certain APIs. So, we/Apple has to block it.

By the way, you used to be able to use the store your credit card was bound to. So, in your case, you would be able to download the app while traveling. Not sure if that the case anymore. Have not tried that in years. But, used to work for me.

 

[surferfb]

Europe doesn’t need Apple, iOS only account for 1/3 of overall market share. However, Europe account for 27% of Apple’s net sales. It is Apple needs access to European market than Europe needs Apple.

Friendly reminder that while Apple is not going to pull out of the EU, the EU does not equal 27% of Apple’s revenue.

Apple’s “Europe” market segment does represent around 25% of their revenue, but Apple defines that market segment as the EU, all non-EU European countries (UK, Norway, Switzerland, etc.), Africa, the Entire Middle East, and India. (See page six of Apple’s 10-K) Both the UK and India are bigger markets for Apple than any EU country, for example.

Again, the EU is an important market, and Apple isn’t going to pull out of it, but this talking point gets repeated so frequently I feel compelled to set the record straight every time I see it. (Which I’m sure annoys some of you, so apologies for that.)

 

[benspratling]

Given that billions of dollars settlement they just paid out, I'm just waiting for apple to say "it's no longer profitable to do business in the EU, too much fascism" and stop selling anything there. of course, google is waiting in the wings just hoping that's what they do.

 

[axantas]

As developer, this feature is helping for working in different countries.

Well....then Apple will get beat up for providing apps in countries the device is not supported. I can already see this EU saying you can't provide apps for equipment not available in the EU (I know, probably stretching).

And, maybe at times, there are regulatory issues in that country. As a developer, it's a great feature to block countries for access or where you want to provide a different version. Example, in China, you can't provide an app that uses certain APIs. So, we/Apple has to block it.

By the way, you used to be able to use the store your credit card was bound to. So, in your case, you would be able to download the app while traveling. Not sure if that the case anymore. Have not tried that in years. But, used to work for me.

There are country specific apps, there are regulatory issues, it is a useful feature then. But there are apps that simply get blocked, because the provider/shop wants to protect his own little world.

Solution: get an account in that country at Apple without any payment information and download the app. Result: the geoblocking is useless and just annoying for users. It is not even blocking foreign IP-addresses. Example: Saturn in Germany - only available with a german account. Or Apple with the apps for the VisionPro. The apps are only "visisble" in the store using the VisionPro itself. Why block countries, if you have to have that thing to see the apps.

 

[Ctrlos]

Yeah and make all my DVD’s region free while you’re at it 😂

This was the comparison I had come to make! I'm not going to wade into another Corporations vs Democracy debate again because we've had enough of those around here. But apps and services are like anything else and localised to their country of origin.

Its why you cannot (without a VPN) access something like the BBC iPlayer outside the UK. Heck, here in the UK due to Football broadcasting rights I can't even use the internet to tune into the local radio station of a particular county to listen to the local teams' matches. I no longer live in my hometown and moved to the neighbouring county and still cannot access them.

 

[laptech]

Apple will lose here because whilst Europe is a collection of individual nations, many of them work under a collective called the European Union (EU) where on numerous things they all work as one. Whilst those countries in the EU have their own rules, regulations and laws, they also operate under a collective or rules, regulations and laws set out by the European Union. This means there are certain rules, regulations and laws that are the same regardless of which European country a person is in.

The US has exactly the same problem. Not everything is available in every state because they all have their own rules, regulations and law but then they have their rules, regulations and laws at the federal level that every state has to abide by. The EU has what is called 'directives' which all countries within the EU must abide by but every country within the EU also has their own 'directives' (rules, regulations and laws) that only affect those in the country and no where else.

I have no doubt companies offering their services in the US have the same problems because every state has their own way of doing things.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

The question rather should: Why are videos/movies/streaming services different and an exception from the rule (that geo-blocking is prohibited)?

The answer is simple: If a TV channel in Germany buys the right to show a big Hollywood movie, it costs about 2 million Euros. An Austrian channel would pay only 250,000 Euros or so for the same movie, as Austria has a much smaller population than Germany. The same is true for sports rights for example. Imagine the TV channel was not geoblocked. Then somebody from Germany could watch that movie on the Austrian channel. If that was possible, the Austrian channel would no longer get that movie for 250,000 Euros.

Formula One for example is only available on pay TV in some EU countries, but on free TV in other countries. So why should somebody pay to watch a pay TV channel from his own country, if he could watch it for free on a channel of another country?

Imagine you used some stock images for your app and you only own the license for Austria for example. Then you could not publish that app in Germany.

The funny thing is that lottery tickets are heavily geoblocked. Germany has 16 states and most of them have their own public lottery company. You can only buy lottery tickets from a company from your own state. If you want tickets from another state, you have to go there in person and buy a paper ticket.

 

[j26]

....The EU has what is called 'directives' which all countries within the EU must abide by but every country within the EU also has their own 'directives' (rules, regulations and laws) that only affect those in the country and no where else....

Just on a point of information, so people might understand the workings of the EU a little better, the EU has Directives and Regulations.

Directives are directions from the EU Commission to the governments of the member states to make certain laws in their own state. An example of this is the categorisation of motorcycle licences. The member states is free to modify it to suit their local circumstances, but the changes that can be made are limited. They cannot change the power restrictions for new riders etc in the case of motorcycles.. Occasionally a government is taken to court for failing to "transpose" a directive correctly or at all.

Regulations, on the other hand are straight up EU law, and they have immediate direct effect whether or not a member state likes it. GDPR and DMA are examples of regulations. (GDPR is nightmarish, btw - it infests everything...)

National governments are free to make any laws they like as long as they do not breach a directive or a regulation. Where there is a doubt, EU Directives and Regulations are supreme.

This is for info only, so if you got this far, thanks for reading 🙂

 

[markgpearse]

So you would force the developers to have all the languages?

No

 

[delsoul]

Another day, another moan by the EUSSR…

 

[AppliedMicro]

I'm just waiting for apple to say "it's no longer profitable to do business in the EU, too much fascism" and stop selling anything there

Why should a single, cross-border European store be less profitable to operate than two dozens of individual country stores with different rosters of apps? (Apple can still offer “apps popular in country X”, for example,

The answer is simple: If a TV channel in Germany buys the right to show a big Hollywood movie

Time for a pan-European TV/streaming market.
The cost of licensing rights can be calculated according to language. Or, at least for online/streaming services, according to actual viewership.

 

[surferfb]

Time for a pan-European TV/streaming market.
The cost of licensing rights can be calculated according to language. Or, at least for online/streaming services - according to actual viewerships.

Agree 100% The fact that TV streaming is exempted is ridiculous. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

 

[delsoul]

I live in Columbus, but I'm a Michigan fan.

It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone! 😉

I also like OSU and they’ve always had a great team!

 

[cocky jeremy]

It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone! 😉

I also like OSU and they’ve always had a great team!

Living here and dealing with their fans make them impossible to like. The only thing I love about OSU is when they lose. lol.

 

[UnusedLoginID]

Why is the EU targeting Apple only? I'm sick and tired of geo-blocking by media companies when I can't watch a video whose geolocation is France when I'm connected to a VPN in the Netherlands... get all news organizations to comply too! Geo-blocking is ridiculous, akin to DVD regions back in the days. Designed by ignorant bureaucrats looking to penny-and-dime you and only enriching VPN companies in the process with total disregard for the actual consumer of the information.

 

[delsoul]

Living here and dealing with their fans make them impossible to like. The only thing I love about OSU is when they lose. lol.

Makes me think of one time I was in cleveland and wearing a MSU sweater. Walked into the gas station and everyone stopped to look at me. Police officer jokingly asked me if I knew where I was 😂

 

[Skyscraperfan]

Time for a pan-European TV/streaming market.
The cost of licensing rights can be calculated according to language. Or, at least for online/streaming services, according to actual viewership.

That play into the hand of big companies like Netflix or Apple. Austria is nine million people and EU is 450 million people. That is 50 times as much. How could you force content providers like the movie studios to charge a small video streaming service from Austria for actual viewership? That's usually not how it works.

For US movies more example studios usually want 10% of the productions costs for the right to show that movie in German cinemas. That usually is a good deal for them, because even if the movie is becoming a flop, they will get 10% of the production costs just from Germany. They also like those kinds of deals for streaming.

Streaming services also like that flatrate model. They pay a one time fee for that movie and then can stream it for a few years of even forever. If they make a pay-per-view contract with the studio, they have to pay a dollar or so to the studio each time someone streams that movie.

 

[kevcube]

I switched my App Store region to the EU country I've been living in for 2 years because Apple Music is significantly cheaper here... just to find out that my Vision Pro can no longer access the App Store because it hasn't launched in my country. Very annoying considering it is available in neighboring countries.

fortunately there are 0 worthwhile 3rd-party apps for Vision Pro and it's basically just a screen-mirroring device for my usage, but still annoying.

 

[strongy]

I'd imagine the issue is that the App Store enables certain country-specific segmentation in the first place, which is a design decision. By contrast, developers couldn't make an app available in New York and California but not in Texas and Mississippi.

Not taking a position here, just trying to tease out what Apple's role here is.

I remember reading my an article where Utah tried to enforce just what you said make certain apps not available in Utah 🤷‍♂️

 

[strongy]

What on earth are you talking about.

Do you honestly think anyone really cares about AI coming later in the EU 🤣

Please just stop, Apple NEED the EU because its their 3rd biggest market so just take a step back from the cool aid.

Europe does not equal EU

 

[strongy]

Classic “American First, American Best” mentality that lots of non-American despise.

Europe doesn’t need Apple, iOS only account for 1/3 of overall market share. However, Europe account for 27% of Apple’s net sales. It is Apple needs access to European market than Europe needs Apple.

You guys all acts like Apple should pull out Europe because of European overreach, Apple should pull out from China because of CCP. But you guys never think two market combined account for 43% of all net-sales. Just think how shareholders and investors will think losing 43% of sales.

Europe does not equal EU

 

[Janschi]

There are country specific apps, there are regulatory issues, it is a useful feature then. But there are apps that simply get blocked, because the provider/shop wants to protect his own little world.

Like you said, each developer can specify which country the apps are downloadable from. It has nothing to do with Apple, it's just plain the choice of the developers. Lidl+ is another example for a German app, thats not available anywhere else. I logged into my account to download it on my friends device.

 

[amartinez1660]

Geoblocking is trash. No exceptions.

I can agree to that.
I can’t watch HBO Max when I’m in Canada… they should forbid geoblocking on companies (looking at Netflix having different programs on different countries), on governments trying to “protect” their local Broadcast TV, ESPNs and whatnot (the HBO one is case of that looks like), etc.

I don’t care “but licensing here and not there but yes over here”, just sort it out. As a consumer I’m paying for a worldwide online service… the rules of local retail of the century ago shouldn’t apply and should be upgraded to the digital age.