EU accepts Apple pledge to let rivals access 'tap to pay' iPhone tech to resolve antitrust case

abcnews.go.com:

The European Union says it’s accepting Apple’s pledge to open up its “tap to pay” iPhone payment system to rivals as a way to resolve an antitrust case and head off a potential hefty fine

LONDON — The European Union on Thursday accepted Apple’s pledge to open its “tap to pay” iPhone payment system to rivals as a way to resolve an antitrust case and head off a potentially hefty fine.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, said it approved the commitments that Apple offered earlier this year and will make them legally binding.

Regulators had accused Apple in 2022 of abusing its dominant position by limiting access to its mobile payment technology.

Apple responded by proposing in January to allow third-party mobile wallet and payment service providers access to the contactless payment function in its iOS operating system. After Apple tweaked its proposals following testing and feedback, the commission said those “final commitments” would address its competition concerns.

“Today's commitments end our Apple Pay investigation,” Margrethe Vestager, the commission’s executive vice-president for competition policy, told a press briefing in Brussels. “The commitments bring important changes to how Apple operates in Europe to the benefit of competitors and customers.”

Competition watchdogs on both sides of the Atlantic have been investigating Apple’s payment tech. A sweeping Justice Department lawsuit filed in March accuses the company of engineering an illegal monopoly in smartphones, including charges that it limits access to contactless payment for third-party digital wallets.

The EU deal promises more choice for Europeans. Vestager said iPhone users will be able to set a default wallet