DOJ v. Apple: everything you need to know

The US Department of Justice has filed a case against Apple for violating antitrust laws. More specifically, the case revolves around how Apple has used its locked-down ecosystem to build a monopoly on the iPhone.

The DOJ alleges that Apple blocks “super” apps, suppresses mobile cloud streaming services, blocks cross-platform messaging apps, limits third-party digital wallets, and even limits how well third-party smartwatches work on its platforms. This is also the third time that the DOJ has sued Apple for antitrust violations in the past 14 years.

This case is likely to have a widespread impact, and given how long the DOJ’s case against Microsoft in the ’90s lasted, it could be a while before we see a resolution.

All the news and updates about the DOJ v. Apple case continue below.

  • Illustration of the Apple logo behind a gavel.

    Illustration of the Apple logo behind a gavel.
    Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo by Getty Images

    The US Department of Justice and 16 state and district attorneys general accused Apple of operating an illegal monopoly in the smartphone market in a new antitrust lawsuit.

    The DOJ and states are accusing Apple of driving up prices for consumers and developers at the expense of making users more reliant on its iPhones. It alleges that Apple “selectively” imposes contractual restrictions on developers and withholds critical ways of accessing the phone, according to a release.

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  • The DOJ is expected to announce an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, and a livestream is scheduled for 11AM ET.

    The Department of Justice’s website doesn’t say which company this antitrust announcement livestreaming will be about, but there are signs that point to Apple.

    We’ll have all the updates for you right here as soon as they’re available. (Update: And as of 10:30AM ET, now they are — the stream is still scheduled for 11AM.)

    Screenshot showing the DOJ livestream offline

    Screenshot showing the DOJ livestream offline
    Image: DOJ
  • The US Justice Department’s Apple antitrust lawsuit may be imminent.

    The New York Times reported in January that the DOJ was nearing the end of an investigation into Apple’s locked-down ecosystem. Now, Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, says the agency is preparing for the next step:

    The Justice Department is poised to sue Apple Inc. as soon as Thursday, accusing the world’s second most valuable tech company of violating antitrust laws by blocking rivals from accessing hardware and software features of its iPhone.

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