Overview
- Under the CADE-approved deal, Apple must allow third-party app stores, alternative in‑app payment processing, and links to external transactions on iOS in Brazil.
- Apple has 105 days from the decision to implement the changes, and the settlement will run for three years once the new terms become mandatory for developers.
- Failure to comply can trigger fines of up to R$150 million and allow regulators to reopen the antitrust investigation.
- Apple warned the new distribution and payment routes raise privacy and security risks, while CADE requires user notices to be neutral and not discouraging.
- The case began with a 2022 MercadoLibre complaint; CADE says Apple will also end its court challenge to the regulator’s 2024 preventive measures, and detailed fee and safeguard terms are still to be announced.