EU antitrust bureaucrats are seeking more information on Apple Pay, the company’s mobile payment system, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
The EU competition watchdog last year accused Apple of restricting rivals’ access to its tap-and-go technology, Near-Field Communication (NFC), used for mobile wallets, making it difficult for them to develop rival services on Apple devices.
“We can confirm the sending of requests for information,” a commission spokesperson said, while declining to provide details.
The commission’s request for information to rivals and retailers is unusual as it comes three months after Apple defended itself at a Feb. 14 hearing.
The regulator, which can fine Apple up to 10% of its global turnover if found guilty of breaching antitrust rules, typically issues decisions after such hearings.
MacDailyNews Take: This latest EU bureaucratic meddling could eventually affect what happens when an iPhone or Apple Watch is brought near an NFC reader where, currently, the Apple Pay and Apple Wallet interface automatically appears. Now, Apple may need to add a setting to allow to users to set this to allow third party contactless payment systems instead.
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