The European Union’s nearly $2 billion fine against Apple is the latest legal action taken by the bloc against the Big Tech company.

The EU announced on Monday that it was fining Apple 1.8 billion euros, or $1.95 billion, for the company using iOS’s dominant role to prevent other music streaming services from succeeding. For example, it applied restrictions to developers such as Spotify, limiting its ability to inform users about cheaper options outside the iOS ecosystem. Apple claimed in response that the decision was the result of Spotify lobbying the union with false allegations of consumer harm. Spotify, though, said Apple “muzzled” it and limited its ability to compete. The iPhone maker intends to appeal the fine.

This is the first antitrust fine imposed by Brussels on Apple. However, the Big Tech giant and European coalition of countries have been clashing over several critical aspects of Apple’s products for years due to the iPhone developer’s market dominance and the EU’s recently enacted restrictive technology laws.

Here are the policy decisions EU regulators have attempted to force on Apple in recent years.

Lightning cables and USB-C

The EU finalized legislation in 2022 that forced all mobile phone makers to have a USB-C charger port instead of a custom one by 2024. The law was intended to cut back on electronic waste since it would allow average users to use the same cord to charge all their mobile devices rather than having one for iPhones, one for Android, etc. Apple decided to oblige the decision when it announced the iPhone 15 in September 2023 and abandoned installing lightning ports in all future Apple gadgets. The port received little fanfare at the company’s presentation but was a significant victory for the EU’s regulatory regime.

Text message formats

Apple and the EU clashed over the coding of text messages sent through the iMessage app in 2023. EU regulators considered whether iMessage, Apple’s instant messaging service, should be regarded as a “core platform service” under the Digital Markets Act. The DMA is a set of European laws meant to determine which technology companies are “gatekeepers,” a category that entails additional restrictions upon their products for antitrust purposes.

iMessage was specifically targeted as part of the EU’s investigation into Apple because it previously declined to use the RCS messaging standard, a form of IM encryption that allowed for improved communication between Android and iOS devices. Apple eventually agreed to adopt RCS alongside its normal encryptions, allowing it to evade the label of “core platform service.”

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iOS ecosystem expansion

Apple announced on Jan. 25 that it had made several changes to how iOS, Safari, and the App Store operated in Europe to abide by the DMA. This includes a more open programming ecosystem and allowing third-party app stores on its platform, a decision that contrasts with the iPhone maker’s long fights with companies such as Epic Games over third-party vendors.

While Apple’s changes were enough to abide by the EU’s laws, developers were less than pleased. Companies like Mozilla and Meta claimed that Apple’s technical specifications for using the new ecosystem and releasing alternate app stores were “very difficult.” The iPhone also dropped the ability to host web apps on the home screen in February, which earned it additional scrutiny from EU regulators. The decision was eventually reversed in March.