Apple fined €5M for tenth time for failing to comply with Dutch dating app order

The Dutch Consumers and Markets Authority (ACM) fined Apple 5 million euros, the tenth such penalty in successive weeks in a row for failing to comply with an order requiring it to let Dutch dating app providers use third-party payment systems in their apps.

The ACM said Apple adjusted its proposal on Sunday concerning compliance with the requirements set by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) under Dutch and European competition rules. 

“If ACM comes to the conclusion that Apple does not meet the requirements, ACM may impose another order subject to periodic penalty payments (with possibly higher penalties this time around) in order to stimulate Apple to comply with the order,” the ACM said in a statement. 

After the ACM issued a ruling in December 2021 requiring Apple to allow dating apps to use third-party payment systems, Apple said it would comply and introduced two optional entitlements for dating app providers in the Netherlands. However, the company said dating app providers using these entitlements must submit a separate app binary for iOS and iPadOS. 

The ACM said in February that Apple’s these terms are “unreasonable”. 

Last week, Apple had sent the ACM new proposals to try to resolve a longstanding dispute over the iPhone maker’s failure to comply with an order. 

“Once the proposal for definitive conditions has been received, ACM will submit it to market participants for consultation. ACM will then as soon as possible hand down its decision whether Apple, when implementing those definitive conditions, is in compliance with ACM’s requirement that alternative methods of payment should be possible in dating apps,” the ACM added.