European regulators are set to charge Apple with anticompetitive practices related to its NFC chip, according to Reuters.
The limits that Apple applies to the use of NFC in the iPhone and Apple Watch could lead to a problem for the company. Apple’s NFCs are presently only available for Apple Pay.
According to the aforementioned media, the measure could force Apple “to open its mobile payment system to rivals.” Besides that, the company might face a significant fine. In any case, it is mentioned that the European Commission’s statement of objections would be sent to Apple in 2022.
This news is a new concern for Apple. The company has been under scrutiny from Europe for this reason since June 2020. According to Reuters, however, regulators have narrowed their focus since then to only include the NFC chip made by Apple.
NFC chip, a potential new headache for Apple
Apple’s limitation on the use of NFC in its devices dates back to 2014. At that time the company decided that only Apple Pay can use the chip built into the iPhone to make payments.
Currently, iPhone or Apple Watch users do not have other NFC payment methods that do not operate under the conditions of Apple Pay. This has led European regulators to put the spotlight back on this issue.
If the European Commission goes through with this proposal, we’ll have to wait and see how Apple responds in court. For the time being, we will have to wait until next year to find out the regulators’ objections to Apple’s NFC chip policy.
