LONDON (AP) — The European Union has announced that it has accepted Apple's commitment to open up its 'tap to pay' iPhone payment system to competitors in order to resolve an antitrust case and avoid a substantial fine. This decision comes after the European Commission accused Apple in 2022 of abusing its dominant position by restricting access to its mobile payment technology.
Apple responded to these allegations by proposing in January to allow third-party mobile wallet and payment service providers access to the contactless payment function within its iOS operating system. Following testing and feedback, Apple made adjustments to its proposals, which the Commission deemed sufficient to address its competition concerns.
The commitments made by Apple will be legally binding and will be in effect for a period of ten years. These changes will apply across the European Union's 27 countries, as well as Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. Additionally, a trustee will be appointed to monitor the implementation of these commitments.
In a statement, Apple highlighted that it is offering European developers the option to enable contactless payments and transactions for various applications. Meanwhile, Apple Pay and Apple Wallet will continue to be accessible to users and developers.
