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Apple has another problem to handle involving its App Store. The Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is disputing the commission fee it is putting on the dating apps created by Dutch developers.
According to Reuters, it is still a part of the regulator’s battle against Apple involving the App Store’s dominance in the market. According to the report, while the issue is currently limited to dating apps in the Netherlands, it has the “potential to set a precedent for other markets.”
To recall, the ACM fined the Cupertino giant $53 million in 2021 after failing to address the changes it wanted to push on the App Store. According to the watchdog, the orders were meant to end the EU antitrust policy-violating practices of Apple.
In response, Apple started allowing dating apps to offer other payment options and even reduced the commission rate it is getting on them from 30% to 27%. ACM didn’t share whether the move was enough to appease it, but now, it clearly isn’t enough.
As Reuters revealed, the ACM is rebutting Apple’s objections by specifically aiming at the commission Apple is taking away from the dating apps. In the document, the regulator described the commission as “an additional, and inexplicably higher, fee,” which “harms dating app providers.”
This is not the first time Apple has been questioned about the commission rate it has for apps in the App Store. Last month, the company also defended itself against Japan’s regulators, saying its fees are “reasonable.” in the document it submitted, Apple detailed that the value of the innovation and tech investments would justify its app fees, stressing it is spending billions of dollars on them. Apple also addressed arguments about the commission rate being high by mentioning the rates of other platforms, including Google Play Store (30% or 15%), Amazon Appstore (30% or 20%), Samsung Galaxy Store (30%), and Sony and Nintendo (30%). As Apple noted, its 30% or 15% fees do not go beyond the industry standard rates.
