(Bloomberg) -- The Apple Inc. executive in charge of the App Store in Europe said that the company's policies ensure a level playing field for developers and ease-of-use for customers as regulatory scrutiny over the platform mounts.
“Our efforts to help developers succeed are broad, deep and ongoing, and they extend to apps — in music, email, or a variety of other categories — that compete with some aspect of our business,” Daniel Matray, the iPhone maker's head of App Store and media services in Europe, said in a speech Tuesday at a four-day virtual conference hosted by Forum Europe.
The speech comes as Apple faces antitrust probes in the European Union and U.S. over rules it imposes on developers. In particular, regulators are taking aim at the requirement that apps use the company's in-house payment service, which takes a cut of 15% to 30% of most subscriptions and in-app purchases.
Read more: Apple's App Store Rules Scrutinized in U.S. Antitrust Probe
Matray said that about 85% of apps it hosts don't pay Apple a commission because they're free or earn revenue through other means.
Comparing the app store to a “quality department store,” the executive on Tuesday stressed the investment and innovation needed by Apple to maintain the platform and ensure that all apps meet the same baseline quality and reliability standards.
Apple has loosened up some of its restrictions on developers in recent weeks. Among other things, it announced it would for the first time, let developers challenge specific review guidelines.
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