Apple Pay has drawn the focus of European Union antitrust investigators, who have solicited payment companies for feedback on the service, according to MLex.
MLex:
One set of questions sent to companies in September focused on how Apple directs users entering an in-app purchase on their iPhone toward Apple Pay, over other payment methods, MLex has learned.
A commission spokesperson said the regulator was monitoring “possible anti-competitive market practices and abusive conduct.”
Apple has attracted criticism in recent years for limiting the use of the NFC chip only to cards included in the iPhone’s wallet. Some banks and rivals have argued that this reduces the attractiveness of alternative payment services on the iPhone. Mobile phones using Google’s Android operating system are said to allow all cards and banking apps access to the NFC chip.
In December, Apple settled a complaint to the Swiss competition authority by a payment company called TWINT, which works by scanning QR codes or inputting codes provided by the merchant. Apple said it would help TWINT override iPhone software that launched Apple Pay when a payment was being processed.
MacDailyNews Take: No, banks and so-called rivals, you cannot have access to iPhone’s NFC chip. With Apple’s iOS, unlike Google’s Android, protecting users’ security is of paramount importance.