Apple's Fines in Dutch Antitrust Case Could Exceed €50 Million
Apple is facing yet another €5 million ($5.5 million) fine in the Netherlands for failing to sufficiently meet recently mandated alternative payment system requirements for dating apps, reports Reuters.
Apple has been fined €45 million ($49.5 million) by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) to date, with Apple racking up a new fine each week. The ACM initially said that it planned to fine Apple €5 million per week until it hit a maximum fine of €50 million, but now it looks like the total fines could exceed that.
According to Reuters, subsequent fines after the 50 million euro total could be higher, so we will have to wait to see how this situation ultimately plays out.
Following the ruling that required Apple to allow alternate payment methods for dating apps, Apple said that it would comply. Apple ended up reducing its commission on purchases made using third-party payment systems to 27 percent, down from the standard 30 percent, but the ACM was not satisfied.
To get the reduced fee, Apple is requiring developers to maintain separate app binaries for apps that use third-party payments and it is asking developers to submit monthly records of sales so that applicable commission can be tracked.
The ACM is not pleased with Apple's decision to force dating apps to choose between using the standard in-app purchase system or an alternative payment system, and has said that dating apps must be able to offer both options, leading to the series of fines.
Apple has fought the ACM's order, and submitted another proposal this week in an effort to put a stop to the fees. Apple's newest offer does not fully comply with the order, the ACM said today, so the fines will continue.
Popular Stories
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple will have a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4. In total, he expects Apple to introduce "at least five products."
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
A week ago, Apple invited selected journalists and content creators to an "Apple Experience" in...
Apple's software engineers are testing iOS 26.3.1, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions.
iOS 26.3.1 should be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, and it will likely be released within the next two weeks.
Last month, Apple released iOS 26.2.1 with bug fixes and support for the second-generation...
The special new color that Apple is considering for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this year is red, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Specifically, he said that Apple is testing a "deep red" finish for the two devices.
If this rumor materializes, it would be the first time that the Pro and Pro Max models ever come in red, and the iPhone 18 Pro models would be the first...
Apple CEO Tim Cook was among a handful of top tech executives who attended a classified CIA briefing warning that China could attack Taiwan by 2027, according to a sweeping investigative report by The New York Times ($).
The previously unreported briefing was apparently held in a secure room in Silicon Valley in July 2023. The meeting is said to have been arranged at the request of the...
While the AirPods Pro 3 launched less than six months ago, it has been rumored that Apple plans to unveil new AirPods Pro this year.
Instead of AirPods Pro 4, it has been rumored that the new AirPods Pro will be a higher-end version of the AirPods Pro 3. This would be similar to the regular AirPods 4, which are available in two versions, with and without active noise cancellation....
