Neither Apple nor the DOJ responded immediately to requests for comments from Reuters. The news agency could not independently confirm the information.
While discussions are ongoing, the report indicated there is no assurance that an agreement will be reached, noting that Apple has made several proposals to the DOJ to resolve the case.
In 2024, the DOJ, along with 15 states, filed a lawsuit against Apple amid increased scrutiny of Big Tech. They allege that Apple monopolized the smartphone sector, negatively impacted smaller competitors, and caused price hikes.
The lawsuit accuses Apple of obstructing consumer efforts to limit competition and points to five instances where Apple allegedly employed tactics to hinder technologies that could enhance competition among smartphones: including super apps, cloud gaming applications, messaging platforms, smartwatches, and digital wallets.
It remains unclear if the state attorneys general are part of the settlement discussions, as indicated in the report.
On Friday afternoon, Apple’s shares fell by 1.1%, though they have increased approximately 23% this year.
This report follows a recent lawsuit filed by Apple against OpenAI and two former employees, claiming misappropriation of trade secrets to aid the ChatGPT owner’s entry into consumer hardware, reflecting escalating tensions between the two firms.
