Since 2020, Apple Inc and the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) have been locked in a dispute over an antitrust order, costing the iPhone maker EUR 50 million in fines. The Dutch consumer watchdog has levied EUR 5 million against the tech giant each week for 10 weeks for failure to comply with an order to make it possible for dating app providers in the country to use non-Apple payment methods.
While the dispute with Apple was ongoing, the Dutch watchdog made another move by announcing in May 2022 that it has initiated a preliminary investigation into Alphabet Inc’s Google for possible anti-competitive practices in its Google Play app store. The focus on Google’s Play Store came after Tinder owner Match Group had asked the regulator to assess whether the search engine behemoth is abusing a dominant position in the dating app market.
ACM’s spokesperson stated that dating-app provider Match Group has asked ACM to assess whether Google abuses its dominant position with these practices. ACM will therefore conduct a preliminary investigation in response to this request. Dating-app providers allegedly are no longer able to use a payment system other than Google’s payment system.
According to TechCrunch, a Google representative said in an email response that ‘like any business, Google charges for services but Match Group’s apps are eligible to pay just 15% on Google Play for digital subscriptions, which is the lowest rate among major app platforms. But even if they don’t want to comply with Google Play’s policies, Android still provides them multiple ways of distributing their apps to Android users, including through other Android app stores, directly to users via their website, or as consumption-only apps.
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