Apple Faces India Antitrust Risk
- India's competition watchdog fast-tracked a final hearing after Apple withheld requested financial data in an antitrust probe. - Apple warned it could face a penalty as large as $38 billion if fines use global turnover as a basis. - The case mirrors European DMA scrutiny and raises the prospect of differing remedies across jurisdictions ( ).
Apple’s antitrust case in India moved toward a penalty hearing after the country’s competition watchdog said the company still had not filed requested financial data. (reuters.com) The Competition Commission of India said in an April 8 order that Apple had not submitted its financials or its response to the investigation since October 2024, and it set a final hearing for May 21 after giving the company two more weeks to reply. (reuters.com) Apple has denied wrongdoing and is separately challenging India’s penalty law in the Delhi High Court, arguing a fine based on global turnover could reach about $38 billion under the statute’s 10% cap. (reuters.com; 9to5mac.com) The case centers on Apple’s App Store rules. Investigators in 2024 concluded Apple abused a dominant position in the market for apps on iPhones by requiring developers to use its in-app purchase system, where fees could run as high as 30%. (reuters.com) Apple’s defense in India is that it is a small smartphone player in a country dominated by Android devices, even as Counterpoint Research data cited by Reuters showed iPhone share at 9% versus 4% two years earlier. (reuters.com) The dispute began with a 2021 complaint from the nonprofit Together We Fight Society, and later drew support from Match Group and Indian startups that said Apple’s payment rules hurt competition. (reuters.com) India’s penalty fight also tracks a broader shift in digital regulation. In April 2025, the European Commission fined Apple €500 million under the Digital Markets Act over App Store anti-steering rules, after opening its investigation in March 2024. (ec.europa.eu; digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) India’s law now lets the watchdog calculate abuse-of-dominance fines using worldwide turnover, not just local revenue, which is why Apple is fighting the formula before the penalty is set. (reuters.com; 9to5mac.com) The immediate deadline is now May 21, when Apple is due at the Competition Commission of India’s final hearing unless the court challenge changes the timetable first. (reuters.com)
