German watchdog closes Apple case with binding commitments

Apple must, for seven years, align consent prompts for its own and third-party apps, remove deterrent wording/symbols, and give developers easier ways to integrate data-permission requests; proceeding under section 19a GWB / Article 102 TFEU, without a fine.

Germany's Bundeskartellamt closed its abuse proceeding — opened in June 2022 — against Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework on 17 August 2026, accepting binding commitments enforceable for seven years instead of imposing a fine. In comparable cases, France had fined Apple €150 million and Italy €98.6 million (bundeskartellamt.de, 17.08.2026).