Microsoft says Apple’s new App Store rules are “a step in the wrong direction” | Top Vip News

Apple’s new plan to comply with European Union technology regulations has already drawn criticism from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Spotify. Now Microsoft is voicing its own concerns, calling the App Store changes in the EU “a step in the wrong direction.”

Apple has proposed a new core technology fee for apps that want to operate on third-party app stores in the EU. It will require developers using third-party app stores to pay €0.50 for each annual app installation after 1 million downloads. Apple will also continue to charge a 17 percent fee to developers who choose to use third-party payment processors.

“Apple’s new policy is a step in the wrong direction,” says Xbox president Sarah Bond in a publish in X. “We hope they will listen to the feedback on their proposed plan and work toward a more inclusive future for all.”

Bond is now responsible for overseeing all of Microsoft’s Xbox hardware and platform work, just as the company hopes to launch its own Xbox mobile store. Microsoft has been quietly building a mobile Xbox store that could launch this year. The Xbox mobile store is designed as an alternative to the dominance of Apple and Google’s mobile game stores, and will rely on content from Activision Blizzard such as Call of Duty: Mobile and Candy Crush Saga – two very popular mobile games published by Activision and King, respectively.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer previously spoke about the potential of the Xbox mobile store last year, referring to the EU Digital Markets Act as a “huge opportunity” for Microsoft.

Spotify has also accused Apple of “extortion” with this new App Store tax, and is calling on EU regulators to take action. The European Commission says that issue a response to Apple’s changes when the regulations officially take effect in March, and promises “strong action” if Apple’s “proposed solutions are not good enough.”

Microsoft’s reaction to Apple’s latest policy changes could also spell trouble for a potential Xbox Cloud Gaming app on iOS. Apple opened the App Store to cloud gaming services last week, while also announcing its new App Store policies for EU markets. “Developers can now ship a single app with the ability to stream all games offered in their catalog,” Apple wrote in a blog post.

Nvidia, Microsoft and other cloud gaming providers have not reacted to Apple’s acceptance of cloud gaming services. We’re still waiting to hear if Apple’s changes are enough to convince these providers to publish iOS apps for their services.