The Dutch Antitrust Authority Announces that Apple’s Payment Policy is Anti-Competitive

The Dutch Antitrust authority announced that it has found Apple’s App Store payment policy, which requires app developers to exclusively implement Apple’s in-app payment system, to be anti-competitive. Apple charges a fee of 15%-30% from app operators when they use its in-app payment system.

The Dutch regulator’s investigation into Apple commenced after a complaint was filed by Match Group, the owner of the popular dating app Tinder. The complaint alleged that Apple’s policy was curtailing Match Group’s direct communication with its customers regarding payments. While the regulator refrained from fining Apple, it required Apple to change its policy to allow developers to implement other in-app payment systems.