Apple has announced that the company will allow in-app purchases in dating apps with third-party payment options for the first time in the Netherlands.
In a message posted Friday night on the developer’s website published , Apple announced that it will comply with a ruling by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) that forces the company to allow third-party payment services for in-app purchases in dating apps. This will circumvent Apple's 15 to 30 percent commission on in-app purchases, but only for apps in the dating category.
The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) recently ordered that developers of dating apps on the App Store in the Netherlands can enable additional payment options for users. To comply with the ACM's order, we are introducing two optional new permissions that apply exclusively to dating apps on the Dutch App Store and provide users with additional payment processing options. Dating app developers who wish to continue to use Apple's in-app purchasing system can do so without any further action required.
Apple: “Not in the best interest of our users”
To implement third-party payment options in Dutch dating apps, developers must use Apple's permissions, but the company warned developers that this brings additional responsibilities and poses a number of new risks:
Before you consider requesting any of these permissions, you should be aware that some App Store features that you may use will not be available to your customers, in part because we cannot verify the security of payments made outside of the App Store's private and secure payment system. Because Apple does not have direct knowledge of purchases made using alternative methods, Apple is unable to assist users with refunds, purchase history, subscription management, and other issues that arise when purchasing digital goods and services using these alternative payment methods. It is your responsibility to resolve such issues with your customers.
Apple added that it disagrees with the ACM ruling and believes it is "not in the best interests of our users" and has appealed to a higher court. Apple stated that the company is "concerned that these changes could impact the user experience and create new threats to privacy and data security." Apple highlighted the benefits of its own developer payment system, which remains available as an option for developers on Dutch dating apps:
App Store: Apple imposes unreasonable conditions"
Apple designed the App Store to be a safe, trusted place for people to discover and download apps. Apple's in-app purchasing system, an integral part of our world-class commerce platform, gives people a private and secure experience across apps and Apple devices, and makes it easy for them to manage their purchases and subscriptions to digital goods and services.
The order follows a Dutch investigation launched in 2019 into whether Apple's business practices constituted an abuse of market power. The investigation included a complaint from Match Group, the owner of Tinder, which claimed that Apple's rules prevented it from communicating directly with its customers about payments. The ACM said Apple was imposing "unreasonable conditions" by prohibiting users from choosing in-app purchase methods. The company was subsequently ordered to allow dating apps to offer third-party payment options by Saturday, January 15, or face a fine of up to €50 million ($57 million). Apple said more information on the mandated changes will be provided shortly. (Photo by bigtunaonline / Bigstockphoto)
