The European Commission accused Apple of exploiting its dominant position by restricting competitors’ access to crucial technology for offering payment services on iPhone via its Apple Pay payment service. The EU Commission concluded that Apple has limited the use of NFC to benefit its own solution Apple Pay.
“It is important for the integration of European Payments markets that consumers benefit from a competitive and innovative payments landscape. We have indications that Apple restricted third-party access to key technology necessary to develop rival mobile wallet solutions on Apple’s devices.”, explained in a press conference by the executive vice president of the European Commission responsible for Competition, Margrethe Vestager.
Apple now has the opportunity to comment on the complaints. If the competition authorities then stick to their assessment, the company could face a high fine. If companies breach EU competition rules, they risk fines of up to 10% of their annual global turnover.
Europe understands that NFC technology is a widely used standard for mobile payments and is available in practically all shops in Europe. Limiting its use is a case of Apple’s dominance, as it restricts users’ choices.
Apple Pay is the only way to get access to the NFC chip on iPhones. Apple sees this as a technical solution to ensure payment security and ensures that anyone who wants access to Apple Pay will get it.
