The European Commission has dropped its antitrust investigation into Apple's iPhone policies, after the company announced relaxed restrictions on the development tools for iPhone applications and introduced cross-border iPhone warranty repair services within the EU. In the spring, the commission launched two parallel preliminary investigations into Apple's iPhone business practices. One focused on the "country of purchase" rule, whereby repairs service is only available in the country where the iPhone was bought, which made the exercise of warranty rights difficult for consumers who had purchased an iPhone in another EU country than their home country. The other investigation concerned Apple's decision in April to restrict the terms and conditions of its licence agreement with independent app developers. Apple has agreed to no longer enforce the "country of purchase" rule within the EU/EEA and has appointed independent authorised service providers to offer cross-border iPhone warranty services in those member states where Apple does not directly take charge of repairs. Earlier this month, Apple also announced having removed restrictions previously introduced on the development tools used to create iPhone apps, restoring the use of third-party layers and so giving developers more flexibility.
