Apple Sued for Blocking Tap-to-Pay Competitors on iPhone

[kuwxman]

You make an amazing product but are forced to allow your competitors to profit. Ugh....lawyers.

You have a choice - buy an android phone - more people do.

You're misunderstanding the issue here...

The complaint is Apple is locking out other tap to pay wallets (Google Pay, Samsung Pay, etc) on the iPhone from utilizing the same underlying hardware all the services use. There is no reason why, other than Apple saying so, that Google Pay shouldn't work the same on an iPhone as it does on any Android device.

Whether or not Apple wants to update their product to work on Android devices is solely up to them. At the moment, there is no need because they have this monopoly they're literally banking on.

 

[randomthoughts]

Card issuers can simply not allow their cards to be functional with Apple Pay. If everyone remembers, cards gradually came onboard to Apple Pay over time. Those card issuers knowingly agreed to the terms that Apple set up to be able to have their bank on Apple Pay. Now they want to backtrack?

I couldn’t care less if banks are upset over 0.15% per a transaction. They don’t have to be on Apple Pay if they don’t want to agree to the terms to be on it.

 

[Samplasion]

What - you mean I have to buy a something off a specific vendor to use their specific features?! Gosh. That’s a new concept. Oh wait its not new. In fact - it’s completely normal. That’s how a product works. You buy it because if it’s features.

So why should I miss out on 98% of the features I like of a phone just for the 2% I can't possibly like? It's better to introduce an option so that I can enjoy 100% of the phone, isn't it?

Or else we have this bland situation whereby no one can offer something special for their own product.

You can offer something special. Just make sure you allow users to ignore it. And if they do, fix it or kill it like every other vendor.

 

[cupcakes2000]

That's not even a close analogy to what this is about.

Other payment apps are being prevented from accessing the NFC chip to make tap-to-pay payments. Instead, in the case of PayPal, you have to open the PayPal app then have it generate a QR code that you scan. Not as easy and convenient as Apple Pay when you just have to hold your iPhone next to payment terminal.

Let's replaced access to NFC chip with access to the iPhone's camera. What if Apple blocked other apps (Instagram, your banking app that allows for mobile check deposits, etc) from accessing the camera? Would you be okay with that?

I frankly don’t care. I buy a product becuase of what it does. If it doesn’t do what I want it to do I buy something else. I certainly don’t sue a company to try to ensure I get what I want like a self entitled AH. It’s not like other options don’t exist. Don’t try to shoehorn an argument into a situation so it fits a narrative. The simple fact is that if an iPhone and by extension Apple, doesn’t offer what you want, then buy somewhere else.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

I am not sure how I feel on this one. All I know is the end result of this will just be a bunch of lawyers on both sides getting richer.

 

[rpmurray]

Apple should pull out of the US.

 

[StellarVixen]

You're misunderstanding the issue here...

The complaint is Apple is locking out other tap to pay wallets (Google Pay, Samsung Pay, etc) on the iPhone from utilizing the same underlying hardware all the services use. There is no reason why, other than Apple saying so, that Google Pay shouldn't work the same on an iPhone as it does on any Android device.

Whether or not Apple wants to update their product to work on Android devices is solely up to them. At the moment, there is no need because they have this monopoly they're literally banking on.

It's not just Google and Samsung, even individual banks are unable to offer their apps with NFC payments functionality on iPhone.

I asked my bank, which already has the app for Android if they have any plans to release their app on iPhones, they said they cannot because of the stuff of "technical nature relating to the iPhone".

You immediately can tell what it is.

 

[icanhazmac]

But should they be able to charge out the wazoo for it when others don't charge?

For every Apple Pay transaction completed with a U.S. issuer's payment card, the issuer must pay Apple a fee of 0.15% for credit cards and half a cent for debit cards, the complaint alleges.

.15% is hardly what I would call "charging out the wazoo".

 

[rweed]

Are you able to use Apple Pay on competitor phones?

Can you use the Google equivalent on iOS?

 

[cupcakes2000]

So why should I miss out on 98% of the features I like of a phone just for the 2% I can't possibly like? It's better to introduce an option so that I can enjoy 100% of the phone, isn't it?


You can offer something special. Just make sure you allow users to ignore it. And if they do, fix it or kill it like every other vendor.

See a few posts above. Entitlement isn’t a given.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Can you use the Google equivalent on iOS?

Nope. But I knew that considering it is the entire point of this topic so I didn't ask.

 

[randomthoughts]

You're misunderstanding the issue here...

The complaint is Apple is locking out other tap to pay wallets (Google Pay, Samsung Pay, etc) on the iPhone from utilizing the same underlying hardware all the services use. There is no reason why, other than Apple saying so, that Google Pay shouldn't work the same on an iPhone as it does on any Android device.

Whether or not Apple wants to update their product to work on Android devices is solely up to them. At the moment, there is no need because they have this monopoly they're literally banking on.

Does Samsung Pay work on non-Samsung devices? Does Google Pay work on any devices other than Android? This isn’t about consumers, it’s about bank issuers complaining about terms they agreed to, to be on Apple Pay years ago. They chose to be on the platform and didn’t complain about the terms at the time. No consumer cares about having Google Pay or Samsung Pay on their iPhone and vice versa. Since the functionality is basically the same, why would anyone want to use something else than what is already provided by the platform? It’s only about card issuers and them wanting more profits.

 

[rweed]

Google is free because they're selling your data. Remember...if it's free YOU are the product.

 

[sw1tcher]

I frankly don’t care. I buy a product becuase of what it does. If it doesn’t do what I want it to do I buy something else. I certainly don’t sue a company to try to ensure I get what I want like a self entitled AH. It’s not like other options don’t exist. Don’t try to shoehorn an argument into a situation so it fits a narrative. The simple fact is that if an iPhone and by extension Apple, doesn’t offer what you want, then buy somewhere else.

Unless what Apple is doing is a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Damn those pesky federal laws.

We'll let the court decide on this.

 

[TheDailyApple]

And lose the other features of iPhone.

There’s no legal or moral right requiring everyone’s ideal combination of features and hardware exist. Any government is overstepping by telling companies how they can or can’t design the products they sell unless it’s directly protecting consumers from real harm. (I.e. cars and phones mayn’t be designed to explode)

If Apple or Google decided to only allow in-house apps on future phones, (obviously changing the way existing phones work would be unethical,) they should be allowed to. It’d be stupid because most people wouldn’t purchase their phones anymore, but it’s not the governments job to tell them not to.

This sort of government intervention is why we have a two option monopoly to begin with. There’s no need to innovate and create new products if you can just sue Apple and Google into hosting your services and apps.

 

[rpmurray]

I need to file a lawsuit against lawyers. Two different firms can charge me different amounts to represent me in court but they are mirror images of each other, they do the exact same thing.

 

[Samplasion]

See a few posts above. Entitlement isn’t a given.

But why do you call it entitlement when people push for change?

 

[sw1tcher]

Can you use the Google equivalent on iOS?

Does Samsung Pay work on non-Samsung devices? Does Google Pay work on any devices other than Android?

Yes. You can download Google Pay app from Apple Store right here --> https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-pay-save-pay-manage/id1193357041

 

[I7guy]

Well good luck. I'll grab the popcorn watch the movie and wait for the ending.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Unless what Apple is doing is a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Damn those pesky federal laws.

We'll let the court decide on this.

I’m not based in the us so I don’t care for their laws. But if it’s in violation then ‘needs to be regulated’ into the same crap everyone else offers then so be it. I can do little about that.

 

[Samplasion]

I need to file a lawsuit against lawyers. Two different firms can charge me different amounts to represent me in court but they are mirror images of each other, they do the exact same thing.

Are they in different states, where one allows you to choose your lawyer and the other forces you to use the state-provided lawyer? If not, the comparison isn't accurate

 

[I7guy]

But why do you call it entitlement when people push for change?

Sure why not. Push for change via voting with your $$$. Maybe the lawsuit will prevail, maybe it won't. Probably take years, but I hope it falls flat.

But I suppose step 1 is to get the class action certified.

 

[jimbobb24]

If I am remembering correctly that ebook lawsuit was awful. It essentially stopped apple from working on giving authors more money relative to amazon. Was just a lawyer payout. Sounds like the lawyers have found a golden goose.

 

[jayducharme]

You have a choice - buy an android phone - more people do.

Exactly! There's already competition in that market. The whole idea behind ApplePay was to make sure that all your transaction information was kept private. I think that might be what upsets some businesses.

 

[cupcakes2000]

But why do you call it entitlement when people push for change?

Push for a change all you want. Vote with your wallet. Capitalism baby. Don’t try to get everything regulated when, certainly in this specific instance, it means absolutely nothing for a consumer, rather to save the big boys some money from Apple, another big boy.