Apple Fires Back at DOJ, Accuses Government of Trying to Redesign the iPhone

Apple has filed its formal answer to the sweeping antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, calling the case wrong on the facts and the law and a threat to the core principles that define the iPhone. The filing argues that the government's complaint, if successful, would empower regulators to take a "heavy hand in designing people's technology" and ultimately harm consumers.

In an introductory statement, Apple positions the lawsuit as an attack on its customer-centric philosophy, which it says balances third-party access with an "uncompromising approach to the privacy and security of users' data." The company claims the DOJ's complaint is a "misguided plea for a judicial redesign of one of the most popular and innovative consumer products of all time," driven not by consumer harm but by complaints from a "small number of third-party developers—including some of Apple's largest and best-funded competitors."

The filing directly refutes the five key areas of conduct that the Justice Department first outlined in its March complaint. In response to the DOJ's claim that Apple stifles "super apps," the company asserts that its rules "allow and support such apps," and that many already exist on the App Store. Apple also pushes back on allegations that it blocks cloud streaming games, noting it allows them both on the web and in the App Store. It further argues that third-party messaging apps are "widely available and enormously popular," that third-party smartwatches can effectively pair with the iPhone, and that it provides a secure mechanism for third-party payment applications.


Beyond specific product features, Apple's response challenges the lawsuit's fundamental market allegations, which are now backed by the DOJ and a group of 19 states and the District of Columbia. Apple argues that it is not a monopolist, facing fierce competition from major manufacturers like Samsung and Google in the U.S. and from lower-cost Chinese brands globally. The filing criticizes the complaint for what it calls an "unreasonable measurement" of the smartphone market and a made-up distinction for "performance smartphones" that "does not correspond to economic reality."

This official answer follows Apple's earlier motion to have the case dismissed and sets the stage for a protracted legal battle. The company maintains that its design choices represent "competition on the merits" and warns that judicial intervention in the "dynamic and evolving market risks chilling lawful competition."

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