Apple Inc.’s tap-to-pay technology faces a fresh round of European Union antitrust scrutiny, after the bloc’s competition investigators dispatched a series of questions to retailers as part of an ongoing probe into the iPhone maker’s closely guarded payments chip.
(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc.’s tap-to-pay technology faces a fresh round of European Union antitrust scrutiny, after the bloc’s competition investigators dispatched a series of questions to retailers as part of an ongoing probe into the iPhone maker’s closely guarded payments chip.
The move, confirmed by a European Commission spokesperson, comes on the heels of formal EU antitrust charges against Cupertino, California-based Apple in May last year, which claimed that its actions restricted competition in the market for mobile wallets on iOS devices.
The EU is now examining the availability of other payments solutions across mobile devices, including the use of QR codes and bluetooth technologies, as alternatives to Apple’s near-field communications chip, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Apple’s digital wallet solution allows consumers to store virtual debit and credit cards on iPhones, in addition to ticket bookings.
Its tap-to-pay tech, the NFC chip, allows payments to be processed via a card reader at a cash register.
Apple maintains strong restrictions on access to the NFC antenna, setting high standards for rival payment providers, which those competitors claim violates the EU’s competition rules.
Following the EU’s statement of objections in May 2022, Apple said that it ensures “equal access to NFC while setting industry-leading standards for privacy and security.”
The European Commission didn’t respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment.
Apple had no further comment beyond pointing to its 2022 statement.
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