According to reports, Apple has to deal again with the competition authorities of the European Union. It’s supposed to be about Apple Pay and the question of why Apple doesn’t fully release the NFC interface on iPhones to third-party providers. A massive fine could follow.
Apple Pay: New EU trouble is coming
According to information from the Financial Times, Apple must prepare for new trouble with the EU competition authorities. In a few days, new allegations are to be officially raised, which essentially relate to Apple Pay and the NFC interface of iPhones rotate. Apple only allows full use for its own payment service and does not open NFC to other providers.
The EU could be one of them distortion of competition recognize and accuse Apple of exploiting a monopoly position. Third-party providers such as PayPal and banks can hardly use the system for their own services in the current state. Apple, on the other hand, argues that this is the only way to ensure particularly secure processing of payment transactions.
Apple Pay simply blocks other providers, which means that they cannot process payments made via the Apple service. As early as 2020, the EU had carried out initial checks as to whether Apple might be affected by the procedure unfair advantages over competitors owns. Antitrust proceedings could now threaten (source: Financial Times).
In the video: How Apple Pay works.
Apple Pay: Massive EU fines imminent
If the EU seeks new antitrust proceedings against Apple, the group faces extensive penalties. This could up to 10 percent of global annual sales include. Apple’s sales in 2021 were around 386 billion US dollars, which corresponds to around 367 billion euros.
Apple has not yet commented on the possible upcoming EU antitrust lawsuit. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently criticized the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is intended to limit the market power of tech companies.