EU antitrust regulators have accepted commitments from Apple to open its tap-and-go payments technology to competitors, concluding a four-year investigation.
The EU’s probe, which began in 2020, scrutinized Apple Pay’s integration terms and conditions, as well as access to its tap-and-go technology.
In 2022, the European Commission found that Apple Pay could restrict competition by being the sole option for iPhone users.
EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said: “These commitments address our preliminary concerns that Apple may have illegally restricted competition regarding mobile wallets on iPhones.
Apple proposed several commitments, including granting third-party developers access to NFC technology without charging fees.
The company also agreed to provide access to key iPhone features like Face ID for competing payment wallets, and allow users to set any wallet as the default option.
“These commitments address our preliminary concerns that Apple may have illegally restricted competition regarding mobile wallets on iPhones”
Earlier this year, the European Commission tested Apple’s commitments by gathering feedback on the proposals.
The commission concluded that Apple’s final commitments sufficiently addressed concerns about restricting third-party access to its tap-and-go payments technology.
These commitments are now legally binding on Apple.
Vestager said: “The commitments bring important changes to how Apple operates in Europe, benefiting both competitors and customers.
“From now on, Apple can no longer use its control over the iPhone ecosystem to exclude other mobile wallets.
“Competing wallet developers and consumers will benefit from these changes, fostering innovation and choice while maintaining secure payments.”
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Apple must implement these commitments by July 25. After this date, all developers will be able to offer mobile wallets for iPhones with tap-and-go technology.
These commitments will remain in effect for 10 years.
The company said: “Apple is providing developers in the European Economic Area with an option to enable NFC contactless payments and contactless transactions for various uses, including car keys, transit passes, corporate badges, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty/rewards, and event tickets, using Host Card Emulation-based APIs.”
Apple added that there would be no changes to Apple Pay or Apple Wallet following the probe.
