EU to Accuse Apple of Unfairly Blocking Third-Party Access to NFC Payment Technology on iPhone

[MacRumors]

Apple will be accused of breaking EU law by unfairly limiting access of its mobile payment system on iPhone to third-party service providers, such as PayPal and Venmo, according to the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report, Apple will be accused of "unfairly blocking groups such as PayPal and leading banks from accessing its mobile wallet system" by the European Union and could face heavy penalties if the accusation moves forward. In specific, the EU is taking issue with Apple's restriction of NFC technology on the iPhone, which Apple does not allow third-party app developers to access.

By limiting access to the NFC chip, services such as PayPal, Venmo, banks, and other financial providers, are unable to provide a similar experience to that of Apple Pay for iPhone users. Apple claims that its restrictions on NFC are in place as a safeguard for user privacy and security.

The new development from the EU comes as Apple faces increasing pressure to open its iPhone to third-party app stores and possibly make iMessage a cross-platform messaging service. New details this week of the "Digital Services Act" soon planned to make its way through the European Parliament and the European Council could force Apple to open its iPhones to other app stores and sideloading, a move that CEO Tim Cook warns would fundamentally change the iPhone.

Article Link: EU to Accuse Apple of Unfairly Blocking Third-Party Access to NFC Payment Technology on iPhone

 

[FilipeTeixeira]

This whole EU thing is starting to become ridiculous. To sum what has been happening lately, the EU wants to make Apple less secure and to strip them from one of the main reasons a lot of us opt for Apple, which is the safety and simplicity it brings.

 

[danakin]

If your comment includes a suggestion Apple should leave the EU (or any other market) please use a font colour that matches the background.

 

[coredev]

In combination these two requests to open up the iPhone are rather disturbing.
Having uncontrolled side loaded apps on the iPhone and providing an open API to the payment system is really not what I consider a safe system I would trust with my credit cards or bank account information.

 

[sirdir]

In combination these two requests to open up the iPhone are rather disturbing.
Having uncontrolled side loaded apps on the iPhone and providing an open API to the payment system is really not what I consider a safe system I would trust with my credit cards or bank account information.

They could still only allow access to those APIs for apps coming from the App store. For example.

 

[vipergts2207]

These kinds of news bits have quickly gone from monthly to weekly to now nearly daily. Times they are a changing.

 

[sirdir]

This whole EU thing is starting to become ridiculous. To sum what has been happening lately, the EU wants to make Apple less secure and to strip them from one of the main reasons a lot of us opt for Apple, which is the safety and simplicity it brings.

Yeah, sure, everything Apple does is just about security. You can give others access to NFC while keeping things safe.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

The EU's gift for Apple. We are going to bound you up in layer upon layer of sticky red tape.

 

[coredev]

They could still only allow access to those APIs for apps coming from the App store. For example.

See, that's the problem. For apps in the app store, controlled by the review process, developers have to respect Apple's rules. For third party stores without review process (or a more lenient one), Apple's restrictions would no longer apply.

 

[Koudspeel]

Way to go EU! It's about time that Apple opens up their platform to allow for competition and thus creating innovation.

 

[mlazar]

I am sure that going forward the EU will leave their headquarters in Brussels open to whoever would like to come in. Or maybe they'll continue to limit entry, but allow whoever wants to to work there as a security guard.

 

[WiiDSmoker]

This whole EU thing is starting to become ridiculous. To sum what has been happening lately, the EU wants to make Apple less secure and to strip them from one of the main reasons a lot of us opt for Apple, which is the safety and simplicity it brings.

No, constantly defending Daddy Apple is ridiculous. While I like my locked in ecosystem just as much as 99.9% on here, not allowing third party companies to access NFC is anti-capitalistic.

NOBODY is saying you have to use PayPal, venmo, etc. Why are you against options?

 

[FilipeTeixeira]

Yeah, sure, everything Apple does is just about security. You can give others access to NFC while keeping things safe.

Still safer than anything Android and so on.

 

[JBinATL]

Perhaps the answer is for Apple to sell a european version of the iPhone. Give it an entirely different OS. They could call it “Android”.

 

[WiiDSmoker]

In combination these two requests to open up the iPhone are rather disturbing.
Having uncontrolled side loaded apps on the iPhone and providing an open API to the payment system is really not what I consider a safe system I would trust with my credit cards or bank account information.

Okay so don’t use venmo or PayPal. What’s the issue here?

 

[boak]

Get ready to launch individual banking apps to pay using your iPhone or Apple Watch

 

[44267547]

Apple should just pull out of the EU altogether. It’s been nothing but problems and will continue likely to be until this happens. Cook should make it happen.

 

[TheWasmer]

How about letting the users individually decide what experience they prefer via settings: closed or open garden.

 

[TracerAnalog]

There have been complaints from banks that Apple pay is so good that it discourages them to develop their own system… Let’s not forget this is once more a bid for your data! Apple pay makes it difficult for vendors to gather data on your purchases.

 

[boak]

Aren't the banks complaining about this just to avoid Apple's commission on payments via Apple Pay?

 

[azentropy]

Things like this make people, especially certain groups in the US, despise regulations and government oversight as they see it as overreaching and anti-capitalism. It is a reason for hating all regulations including the important and meaningful environmental regulations. If the people in the EU ever wonder why the US has shifted so far right, things like this and the other regulations the EU has proposed lately are a big reason why.

/rant

 

[Deguello]

In combination these two requests to open up the iPhone are rather disturbing.
Having uncontrolled side loaded apps on the iPhone and providing an open API to the payment system is really not what I consider a safe system I would trust with my credit cards or bank account information.

Keep using the only the apps you use now. No one is forcing you to sideload payment apps.

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Apple should just pull out of the EU altogether. It’s been nothing but problems and will continue likely to be.

This naive mindset really has to stop. What problems has it caused? Apple is about privacy. EU is also about privacy. You gonna elaborate or just throw out baseless non-sense?

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Things like this make people, especially certain groups in the US, despise regulations and government oversight as they see it as overreaching and anti-capitalism. It is a reason for hating all regulations including the important and meaningful environmental regulations. If the people in the EU ever wonder why the US has shifted so far right, things like this and the other regulations the EU has proposed lately are a big reason why.

/rant

Dude/Dudette. Seriously what are you talking about? Blocking competition aka not allowing third party access to NFC it anti-capitalism. The irony here is EU is making Apple to be capitalistic.

 

[CosmoCopus]

They just need to mind their own business.