EC Charges Apple with Anticompetitive Behavior Around NFC Access in iPhone

03 MAY 2022 - The European Commission has formally charged Apple with another accusation of anticompetitive behavior. On Monday, Engadget had EC Executive VP Margrethe Vestager confirming that her wing of the EU “has formally charged the iPhone maker” with restricting access to Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone and boxing out competitors in the mobile payment space. “In a statement,” says the report:

…Vestager said that the Commission had “indications that Apple restricted third-party access to key technology necessary to develop rival mobile wallet solutions on Apple's devices,” adding that the company “may have restricted competition, to the benefit of its own solution.”

Of course, Apple has a solution: Join Apple Pay. In a statement apparently responding to news of the charge, Engadget had Apple saying:

Apple Pay is only one of many options available to European consumers for making payments, and has ensured equal access to NFC while setting industry-leading standards for privacy and security… We will continue to engage with the Commission to ensure European consumers have access to the payment option of their choice in a safe and secure environment.

It seems what the EC has lodged is a “Statement of Objections” to the way Apple currently does business - specifically how points objected to violate EU antitrust regulations. Engadget says Apple “will now be invited to reply to the issues raised and request a meeting with officials…”

Worth noting: The EC’s investigation and charges seem to have come compliments of PayPal and its ilk. 9 to 5 Mac highlights a Bloomberg report on the matter. That site cites “sources familiar with the matter,” who say:

…that PayPal helped “spur a formal antitrust complaint” against Apple and Apple Pay with the European Commission. PayPal, which offers an NFC-based “tap-to-pay” feature for Android users, is not allowed to offer the same option on the iPhone.

That said, the piece says:

Bloomberg says that PayPal was only “one of multiple companies” that made formal complaints about the situation to the European Commission.