Netherlands Orders Apple To Offer More App Store Payment Methods

The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in the Netherlands is pressing Apple to lift App Store payment restrictions in the country.

According to a report on Reuters, citing anonymous internal sources, the consumer protection organization launched a probe that concluded that Apple engages in anti-competition practices. 

The reports that forced ACM to look into the matter came from disgruntled Dutch app developers as well as giants like Match Group (Tinder’s owner) who maintain that forcing a cut between 15% and 30% on all in-app purchases on the iOS platform is unfair. 

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Moreover, many of these developers complained about Apple not allowing them to independently and directly inform their userbase about payments. 

The investigation was launched back in 2019, changed scope along the way to focus mostly on dating apps, and has now reached an informal conclusion. 

ACM hasn’t published a relevant report on its portal yet, but Reuters claims that the antitrust authority has already warned Apple to lift the in-app payment restrictions over a month ago. 

No fines have been imposed as a result of finding Apple guilty of violating Dutch competition laws, but since the matter is still under legal review, the firm’s response to ACM’s orders will play a role in determining the final amount. 

The start of a domino effect

This follows South Korea’s recently enacted law which obliged Apple and Google to open up payments on their app stores to third-party providers. 

Although there are several anti-trust investigations against Apple around the globe, not many have been concluded to give us an indication of whether or not South Korea’s new law will be replicated in other countries. 

The reported ACM probe outcome is a clear sign of the manifestation of a “domino effect” that could force Apple and Google to give up their absolute dominance regarding in-app charges on their mobile platforms. 

On parallel news, Japan’s Fair Trade Commission has announced it’s launching an investigation on both Apple and Google, to determine if the two entities abused their market dominance in the country. 

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The reports that Japan’s FTC has received from various entities describe the unfair promotion of Google’s own apps on Android and the obligatory and exclusive inclusion of Google Search on all devices sold in the country. 

The Japanese government has enacted a new law on ‘Improving Transparency and Fairness of Digital Platforms’ earlier this year, and if the FTC rules that the law applies to mobile OS markets too, Google and Apple will also be compelled to submit regular transaction reports to the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.