Youtube
Apple will open its tap-and-go mobile payments system to rivals, the EU antitrust authority said Thursday. However, Margrethe Vestager said the iPhone maker has yet to adjust its business methods to align with groundbreaking digital laws.
Three Digital Markets Act (DMA) investigations are underway, which mandates Big Tech to level the playing field and provide people more choice.
Vestager stated its App Store policies violated the DMA last month and began investigating new app developer and rival app store contracts.
Since then, Apple has not taken any DMA compliance steps, she claimed.
“What I can say so far is that we have not seen a change in behaviour on Apple’s side when it comes to our preliminary findings,” Vestager told a press conference.
“I would have hoped so because I think it will be beneficial for consumers and customers and, of course, respectful to the legislator to discuss in depth what would be expected from gatekeepers,” she said.
Vestager said Thursday that she accepted Apple’s offer to open its tap-and-go mobile payments system to rivals to conclude a four-year inquiry that could have resulted in a large fine.
The EU antitrust regulator, the European Commission, said Apple’s offer was good for 10 years. Europe has around 3,000 Apple Pay banks and issuers.
“From now on, Apple can no longer use its control over the iPhone ecosystem to keep other mobile wallets out of the market,” said Vestager.
Comment Template