Netherlands Fines Apple €5 Million for In-App Payment Violations

The Netherlands antitrust authority has fined Apple 5 million euros for failing to meet the in-app payment systems requirements it handed the company in October.

According to a new report from MacRumors, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) previously found Apple’s in-app payment system to be anti-competitive and ordered the company to change its business practices.

And following Apple’s recent announcement that it would allow users use third-party payments for in-app purchases on dating apps in the Dutch App Store, the ACM said it would assess whether these changes meet the requirements of its previous ruling

Now, the ACM says Apple has failed to satisfy the requirements set by regarding payment systems for dating-app providers.

“Apple has failed to satisfy the requirements set by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) regarding payment systems for dating-app providers,” an ACM announcement explains. “ACM has come to this conclusion following an investigation into Apple’s statements of January 15, 2022. This means that Apple now has to pay ACM the first penalty payment of 5 million euros.”

According to the government watchdog, Apple is required to allow developers of dating apps to use third-party payment systems, and it must let those developers communicate the availability of those payment systems from inside their apps.

Now, for as long as Apple refuses to comply, it will be fined 5 million euros every week up to a maximum of 50 million euros.

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