An antitrust watchdog in the Netherlands is beginning to reassess whether Apple has done enough to comply with its order on alternative payment methods for dating apps after it said it would still require developers to pay a 27 percent commission for using third-party payment systems.
On February 4, Apple announced new plans to charge developers a 27% commission fee for Dutch dating apps in the App Store that use alternative payment methods rather than the existing in-app purchase mechanism. The Authority for Consumer and Markets (ACM) is now investigating whether Apple complied with the order under the new measures.
The ACM has asked Apple to allow Dutch dating apps to handle in-app purchases by other means, and Apple has worked hard to comply. However, Apple said it intends to take a commission from off-platform app-related purchases, dropping the original 30% rate to 27% to exclude the cost of processing the payment process.
ACM told Reuters on Monday it was studying Apple’s changes to see if the company is now in compliance and would respond soon. A Jan. 4 review determined that Apple wasn’t doing enough, so the ACM began charging Apple 5 million euros ($5.6 million) in fines per week for up to 10 weeks, capped at 50 million euros. Apple insists it complied with the order, but the ACM disagrees.
The ACM said Apple did not implement its plans for payment options for dating app developers, but only made plans and allowed developers to apply the new rules.
Under Apple’s changes, developers can choose to use the existing IAP system, including third-party mechanisms in the app, or link out of the app and be charged elsewhere. For the latter two, Apple will have “no knowledge of purchases”, so developers will have to deal with users’ “refunds, purchase history, subscription management” and related inquiries.
Apple also requires developers to report sales and pay a corresponding commission. Developers and programs that do not comply with the new rules will be completely removed from the App Store or Apple’s developer program.