Payment terms for Apple’s dating apps are now ‘compliant’, says Dutch regulator – POLITICO

The Dutch competition authority said on Saturday that Apple’s latest proposal on payment terms for dating apps addresses the regulator’s concerns.

Apple on Friday night announced further changes to the mechanism it designed to comply with a Dutch regulator’s December order allowing dating apps to use alternatives to Apple’s payment system for purchases. integrated in the Netherlands.

« With this concession, Apple will meet the requirements that the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has set under European and Dutch competition rules, » the regulator said in a statement.

« We are pleased that Apple has finally aligned its terms with European and Dutch competition rules, » Dutch competition chief Martijn Snoep said in the statement.

After weekly fines totaling 50 million euros for non-compliance, Apple managed to avoid a new order with higher penalties.

The ACM did not consult with developers on Apple’s latest offer before releasing its statement. A spokesperson said the authority had « recently been in regular contact with dating app providers about the matter. »

EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager repeatedly cited the Dutch case when discussing Big Tech’s willful non-compliance.