Dutch Regulator Continues Dispute with Apple Over Anticompetitive App Store Rules for Dating Apps.

Apple's revised App Store policies still found anticompetitive by Dutch regulators, despite slight fee reduction, increasing likelihood of further changes, potentially impacting Apple’s global fee structure.

The Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) maintains that Apple's revised App Store policies for dating apps are still anticompetitive, despite the company's reduction in fees from 30% to 27% for these apps.
Apple's rules have been accused of unfairly targeting subscription-based apps, like Match Group's Tinder, resulting in an unfairly high commission fee for these companies.
The dispute originates from a 2021 legal case where the ACM required Apple to reduce its commission and remove an 'anti-steering' provision that prevented dating app developers from informing users about third-party payment options.
This dispute could potentially set a precedent that impacts Apple's global App Store fee structure, given rulings in the Netherlands forcing Apple to allow third-party payment providers and reduce fees for dating apps there.
While Apple introduced changes to allow for external payments and reduced its commission by 3% in the Netherlands, a third confidential dispute remains unresolved, which the ACM has yet to disclose.