The Dutch competition regulator recently imposed that Apple must provide alternative in-app payment methods on dating apps such as Match and Tinder in the Netherlands or face a fine.
The ACM, or Authority for Consumers and Markets announced that Apple will pay a fine of 5 million euros every week for non-compliance, up to a maximum of 50 million euros in two months’ time. The deadline comes after the decision that Apple’s in-app commission structure was deemed ‘unreasonable’.
Martijin Snoep, ACM’s chairman, mentioned how Apple takes advantage over app developers’ dependency on the App Store, and that the company has a responsibility because of its market dominance. Snoep also said that Apple will need to take app providers’ needs seriously and provide reasonable conditions within its App Store environment.
The Dutch competition regulator and Apple has had a history of conflict, with ACM checking if Apple’s practices were the result of the company’s dominant position in 2019.
