On Monday, a lawyer representing 55 Chinese iPhone and iPad users confirmed they filed a complaint with China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, accusing Apple of abusing its market dominance by limiting app distribution and payments to its platforms and imposing high commission fees.
Reuters:
The complainants, led by lawyer Wang Qiongfei, argue that Apple maintains a monopoly over iOS app distribution in China while permitting alternative payment methods and app stores in other markets following regulatory pressure from the European Union and United States.
The filing accuses Apple of three main violations of China’s Anti-Monopoly Law: forcing consumers to purchase digital goods exclusively through Apple’s In-App Purchase system, restricting iOS app downloads to the App Store, and charging commissions of up to 30% on in-app purchases.
This marks the second complaint against Apple led by Wang. A similar case filed in 2021 was dismissed by a Shanghai court last year.
Amid tensions with Washington, China has recently launched a series of antitrust investigations targeting U.S. tech firms…
MacDailyNews Take: China’s so-called anti-monopoly laws, an irony for a communist country, are selectively enforced, often targeting foreign firms. We’ll see if Apple’s past and recent promises of more “investments” in China are enough for this case to be dismissed, too.
See also: Apple CEO Cook vows to increase investment in China – October 15, 2025
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