The Financial Times revealed this morning that the EU watchdogs slapped the fine on Apple after Spotify complained that Jobs' Mob stopped apps from telling users about better alternatives to Apple Music on the iPhone.

The EU said Apple's refusal to let developers link to their subscriptions was unfair and illegal - a policy that Apple only changed in 2022 after Japan cracked down on them.

While €503 million may seem like a lot, it's nothing compared to the €39.8 billion fine (or 10 per cent of Apple's yearly income) that the EU threatened Apple with last year. Apple was fined over €936 million in 2020, but they managed to get it reduced to €368.6 million after it appealed.

The Verge quoted an Apple mouthpiece who said last year that the EU case "has no merit".

Reuters said the EU's fine "is expected to be announced early next month.

According to FT, the fine would be the EU's first-ever against Apple and is expected to be announced early next month.

It results from an EU investigation into whether Apple's "anti-steering" rules break the EU's laws against abusing their power, hurting music fans "who may end up paying more" for apps. According to the report, the EU will rule that Apple's actions are illegal and against EU rules.

According to the FT, the EU will ban Apple's trick of stopping music apps from letting users know of cheaper options outside the App Store.