EU accepts Apple’s pledge to allow rivals access to iPhone ‘tap to pay’ tech to resolve antitrust case – Winnipeg Free Press

LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Thursday accepted Apple’s pledge to make its tap-to-pay payment system on iPhones available to rivals, a move it said would help resolve an antitrust case and avoid a potentially hefty fine.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm and chief antitrust enforcer, said on Wednesday it had approved the commitments offered by Apple earlier this year and would make them legally binding.

In 2022, regulators accused Apple of abusing its dominant position by restricting access to its mobile payments technology.

Apple responded by proposing in January to allow third-party mobile wallet and payment service providers to access contactless payment features on its iOS operating system. After Apple modified its proposals following testing and feedback, the commission said those “final commitments” would address its competition concerns.

“Today’s commitments conclude our investigation into Apple Pay,” Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president for competition policy at the Commission, told a press conference in Brussels. “These commitments introduce important changes to the way Apple operates in Europe, to the benefit of competitors and customers.”

The deal promises Europeans more choice. iPhone users will be able to set a default wallet of their choice, while mobile wallet makers will be able to use important iPhone verification features such as Face ID, Vestager said.

Mobile wallets operate on the basis of near-field communication technology, or NFC, which uses an integrated circuit to wirelessly communicate with the merchant’s payment terminal.

The commission accused the company of preventing others from accessing Apple Pay, which is the largest NFC-based mobile wallet on the market.