The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has told Reuters it will slap Apple with yet another fine next week for not fully complying with an order to open its App Store to other forms of payment for dating apps.
Apple has already been fined nearly $49 million (45 million euros) in weekly penalties by ACM since January, with the ninth penalty handed out this week. Although Apple has submitted a fresh proposal to the ACM this week to halt the sanction, the Dutch watchdog says the offer does not fully comply with its order.
According to ACM rules, once the total penalty hits 50 million euros, subsequent fines incurred by Apple could be higher.
The Dutch watchdog launched its investigation on whether Apple’s practices amounted to an abuse of a dominant market position back in 2019. It was later reduced in scope to focus primarily on dating market apps, including Tinder owner Match Group.
According to the European Union’s recently introduced Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple will soon be required to allow users to install apps from outside the App Store.
