[4] Beginning in the 2010s, concerns surrounding the market power of the "Big Tech" companies (Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Google) began to mount in the United States.

[5] The DOJ had previously sued Apple on two occasions: on e-book prices and over alleged collusion to depress employee salaries with other tech companies.

[6] In 2020, the Democratic majority staff of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law released a report accusing Apple and other Big Tech companies of unlawfully wielding monopoly power.

[11] In a press conference, the US Attorney General Merrick Garland made reference to the 30% "Apple Tax", criticized iMessage's "Green Bubbles", and called out the lack of NFC access for 3rd party banking apps.

[12] According to the documents filed by the Attorneys General, the key categories of Apple artificially restricting competition were:[13] Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter stated United States v. Microsoft Corp. "paved the way for Apple to launch iTunes, iPod and eventually the iPhone", and that this new suit will “protect competition and innovation for the next generation of technology.”[14] The case was initially set to be overseen by judge Michael E. Farbiarz until he recused himself on April 10, 2024.