European Commission accepts Apple's 'tap and go' promises

Apple has avoided a potential hefty fine and an antitrust case in Europe after making concessions that include opening up access to iPhone hardware needed for "tap and go" applications. An investigation was launched into alleged anti-competitive practices around Apple Pay in 2022. One major concern was that Apple restricted …

[Anonymous Coward]

Just wait...

The usual suspects will be lining up to go after this deal mostly, without looking at the details. Targeting Apple (and Microsoft, Google and Oracle) is easy money.

[Rich 2]

Ok….

Let me guess - Apple will indeed open up their card tappy payment thingy

…and then charge all the other suppliers 15% of all transactions to use it

I would put a joke icon up but I’ll wait to see if it actually is a joke or not

[DS999]

What's the point?

Does Android have a bunch of mobile wallets to choose from instead of using Google's? What advantage do they offer over using the default?

[Falmari]

Re: What's the point?

@DS999 "Does Android have a bunch of mobile wallets to choose from instead of using Google's?"

I don't think it does. Just a Google wallet* that you add your items (IDs payment cards etc) to, at a basic level no different to Apple wallet.

For supported payment networks like Mastercard and Visa, contactless payment cards can be added to the wallet, allowing contactless payment (NFC) with the phone. But the added card does not connect to the phones NFC, the payment is made through Google pay on android and Apple Pay on iOS. Apple or Google the merchant does not know that a payment is by Mastercard or Visa, or even the card number.

The only difference between Apple and Google is Apple charges commission to the payment network to use Apple Pay and Google seems to be free. It would be nice to know exactly what Apple's proposed changes are.

"Apple announced some major changes to its mobile operating system, which included developer access to NFC hardware for contactless payments."

This seems to be Apple allowing access to NFC that Google does not.

* I could be wrong but I have not seen mention of other wallets on Android.

[JDC]

Re: What's the point?

Yes. Samsung have their own wallet, although I use Google. My bank also offers a wallet app. As does the Lidl supermarket app, and the Repsol (petrol station) app, etc etc. Advantages to me as a consumer: if I use the wallet in their app I get discounts etc., obviously at the expense of sharing more information with them, having their app installed (and potentially sending me notifications), etc.

[DS999]

Re: What's the point?

So long as you have the choice whether to use those other wallets I wouldn't have a problem with it. But if e.g. Lidl supermarket said "we will no longer support Apple Pay we're only going to support Lidl Pay" I would really pissed off. Pissed enough that I'd take my business elsewhere.

Though of course I would expect if one or two did it they'd all do it, since the enshittification of technology seems to be on a march no one can stop.

Glad that the EU is serving as guinea pigs for this and I don't have to worry about it in the US anytime soon.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What's the point?

It's already there re the withdrawing a standard method to try and force their own, I recall a few years back in Walmart they had all of the contactless hardware readers but not enabled the function. As a foreign visitor used to paying by contactless back in the UK it was just annoying to have to keep going on like it's 2003 and inserting the card and using the PIN. It was all to try and push people to use their Walmart app to pay with.

Not sure if it's still the case now that Google/Apple pay and card contactless is ubiquitous, but it wouldn't surprise me if it is.