“DOJ is wrong…", Apple fires back at US government in landmark antitrust case

Apple

Apple has formally responded to the US Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit, dismissing allegations that it holds a “smartphone monopoly” as both misguided and dangerous. In a detailed court filing, Apple argues the DOJ’s claims not only misinterpret how the iPhone ecosystem works but also risk undermining consumer choice and innovation.

The DOJ’s case, filed in March 2024, focuses on five areas where it says Apple restricts competition: super apps, cloud gaming, third-party messaging apps, smartwatches, and tap-to-pay wallets. Apple’s rebuttal? That the government simply doesn’t understand how any of these things actually work.

For instance, Apple says super apps are already allowed — and thriving — on the App Store. Cloud gaming? Apple claims it supports both browser-based and native game streaming. Messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal? Widely available and extremely popular, according to Apple. On smartwatches, Apple says third-party models work well with iPhones and benefit from increasing access to Apple’s APIs. And as for tap-to-pay, the company insists its system protects users’ financial data better than the DOJ’s proposed alternatives.

Apple argues that its decisions were made not to crush rivals, but to improve the user experience and preserve privacy and security — two pillars it claims would be weakened if forced to comply with DOJ’s demands.

In a sharply worded statement, Apple warned that the lawsuit, if successful, would “set a dangerous precedent” by giving government regulators undue influence over product design and platform strategy. “The DOJ is asking the court to second-guess Apple’s engineering,” it said.

With Apple’s formal response now on the record, the case heads into discovery. What’s at stake is not just how the iPhone works, but how much control any tech company should have over its own platform.