The European Commission has informed Apple of its preliminary view that the U.S. technology company has abused its dominant position in the markets for mobile wallets on iOS devices. By restricting access to a standard technology used for contactless payments with mobile devices in stores, Apple has restricted competition in the market for mobile wallets on iOS, the Commission said. It continued that it “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.”
The commission noted that sending a Statement of Objections does not prejudge the outcome of an investigation. But if confirmed, Apple’s conduct would infringe EU laws that prohibit the abuse of a dominant market position. It highlighted that the Statement of Objections takes issue only with the access to NFC input by third-party developers of mobile wallets for payments in stores. It does not concern online restrictions nor the alleged refusals of access to Apple Pay for specific products of rivals, which the commission raised concerns about when it opened an in-depth investigation into Apple’s practices regarding Apple Pay on June 16, 2020.
