The Dutch antitrust regulator fined Apple €5 million (US$5.65 million) on Monday, Reuters reported. It’s said the company had failed to comply with its order that dating apps providers in the Netherlands should be able to use alternative payment methods, not just the App Store. The regulator now issues to a weekly fine from €5 million to €50 million until it is happy that Apple has done what it asked.
Dutch Antitrust Regulator Hits Apple With Fines Over Dating App Payments
On January 15, Apple said it had complied with Authority for Consumers and Markets’s (ACM) request, which came in December. It also has made clear its intention to appeal. However, the regulator said that this is not the case. In a statement it said:
Apple has failed to satisfy the requirements on several points. The most important one is that Apple has failed to adjust its conditions, as a result of which dating-app providers are still unable to use other payment systems. At the moment, dating-app providers can merely express their ‘interest’.
The company had not commented publicly further at the time of this writing.
Payment Changes on Way
Apple has already agreed to loosen some of its payment requirements. So-called ‘reader’ apps will be able to guide users to their websites to pay. According to the company, these are apps that “provide previously purchased content or content subscriptions for digital magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video,” The move was prompted by the Japanese regulator but will implemented worldwide this year, according to an announcement Apple made in September 2021.