Apple's In-App Purchase Rules Are Anti-Competitive, Rules Dutch Antitrust Watchdog

Apple's in-app purchase requirements are anti-competitive, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has decided, reports Reuters. The ACM has ordered Apple to make changes to the rules that force developers to use in-app payment options.

app store blue banner
The Dutch antitrust watchdog has been investigating Apple since 2019, and while the probe started out as a look into whether Apple's App Store practices are an abuse of dominant market position, it was scaled back to focus on dating apps.

Tinder owner Match Group said that Apple's in-app purchase were preventing it from directly communicating with customers about payments.

The ACM told Apple about its decision on in-app purchases last month, and it was the first antitrust regulator to decide that Apple has abused its market power in the ‌App Store‌. Apple has not been fined, but the ACM wants it to make changes to in-app purchase rules.

A final decision on the matter is under legal review and it will be published laster this year.

In related news from Japanese site Nikkei, Japan's Fair Trade Commission is launching an investigation into whether Apple and Google are leveraging their dominance in the smartphone OS market to eliminate competition and limit options for consumers.

The Japanese FTC will conduct interviews and surveys with OS operators, app developers, and smartphone users, and will aim to create a report outlining OS market structure and the reasons why competition "has remained static."

Apple is facing similar antitrust investigations and legal issues in multiple countries, including the United States. Sweeping antitrust legislation has been introduced, and earlier this year, the Epic v. Apple case resulted in a ruling requiring Apple to allow developers to include "external links or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing." Apple will need to implement these rules starting in December.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...

Top Rated Comments

turbineseaplane Avatar
48 months ago
The walls are closing in.
Get out in front of all of this Apple and make changes --- before you're forced to

(changes forced by regulation won't be ones Apple will like)
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
genovelle Avatar
48 months ago

Good. Apple needs to stop including Safari with MacOS and iOS as well.
Please stop attempting to make those of us that HATE GOOGLE have to deal with unnecessary changes to our ecosystem.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
48 months ago
If I wanted Android I would have bought Android. Don’t make iOS like Android.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blazerunner Avatar
48 months ago
Judge is right, Apple is anti-competitive.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vasilenko93 Avatar
48 months ago
My biggest issue with Apple services is that they are not available everywhere. For example Apple Pay is great, but I cannot use it on my Desktop which is Windows. When buying games on Steam I use PayPal as that has all my cards and linked to my bank account and I use it to send money to some people. What's cool is many sites have the option to pay with PayPal which saves me time as PayPal also has my address. I would prefer to use it.

Than when I bought an iPhone I was forced to give Apple my card information just to sign up for some service on an App. Why!? I already have PayPal installed and signed in, why couldn't I use that!? But okay, lets fully set up Apple Pay as its better and secure...except that's useless to me as I almost never make in app purchase and I cannot use Apple Pay on my Desktop.

This is also why I don't use KeyChain. Sure its better integrated with my phone...but 1Password works on my Desktop and work laptop while KeyChain does not. If Apple ever forces everyone to use KeyChain I will throw my iPhone at the wall.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brandnewshmoney Avatar
48 months ago
Even Hitler couldn't survive a war on two fronts. How many fronts is Tim Apple currently fighting on? Unconditional Surrender is inevitable!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)