Seeking input on these commitments, the Commission aims to terminate the exclusive access Apple Pay and Apple Wallet have had to the iPhone’s NFC payment features, marking the latest development in the ongoing four-year investigation.
The proposed commitments emerge approximately a year and a half after the Commission formally accused Apple of leveraging its iOS policies to impede competition within the mobile payments sector, violating EU law.
“The Commission takes issue with the decision by Apple to prevent mobile wallets app developers, from accessing the necessary hardware and software (‘NFC input’) on its devices, to the benefit of its own solution, Apple Pay,” highlighted the regulator back then.
However, the Commission’s press release indicates that Apple’s suggestions would permit individuals with an Apple ID registered in the European Economic Area to conduct NFC payments through third-party apps outside the bloc.
These proposed commitments, valid for ten years, could incur penalties of up to 10 percent of Apple’s global annual turnover if not adhered to.
The call for feedback on these commitments follows a meeting between the Commission’s antitrust lead, Margrethe Vestager, and Apple CEO Tim Cook in California last week.
Apple Pay is just one of the Apple services targeted in the EU’s antitrust investigations, with the Commission also supporting Spotify and contesting App Store rules preventing developers from promoting app subscriptions outside of Apple’s platform.
