Apple Inc on Friday set out on how developers of dating apps offered in the Netherlands can skip Apple’s in-app payment systems, a move the iPhone maker has been closely monitoring in light of global antitrust concerns over its control the mobile app industry.
Apple has long mandated the use of its in-app payment system, which charges commissions of up to 30%, which some developers, such as Tinder owner Match Group Inc, argue are too high. Last year, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) ruled that Apple’s rules violate Dutch competition laws in the dating app market and obliged Apple to allow those developers to use third-party payment processors.
Investors are monitoring developments in the Dutch antitrust case for the impact they could have on Apple’s App Store revenues, the largest component of its $68.4 billion services business.
Under the rules, dating app developers will still have to pay commissions for sales outside the in-app payment system, although it will give them a small discount. Apple had previously said that developers who paid 30% commission would owe a 27% commission.
But some developers are already paying Apple a lower 15% commission if they meet certain criteria, such as keeping customers with a subscription longer than a year.
Apple’s previous rules did not clarify whether those developers would also receive a discount when using third-party payment services. Apple said Friday that those developers pay a 12% commission when using third-party payment systems.
Apple also said Friday that the Dutch authorities have imposed changes to how apps look when using third-party payments.
Apple’s system will show users a warning stating that the user should contact the developer about payment issues, such as asking for a refund. Apple had originally added a button that would allow users to stop using the third-party payment option after receiving the warning, but the iPhone maker said on Friday that Dutch authorities had rejected that button.
“We don’t believe some of these changes are in the best interests of our users’ privacy or data security,” Apple said in a news release. “As we have said before, we do not agree with ACM’s original order and are appealing.”
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