Apple Avoids EU Fines by Opening Up Contactless Payments to Rivals

The technology was earlier only made available in Apple Pay, with other mobile wallets blocked.

Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers remarks at the start of the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, Calif., on June 10, 2024. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Apple has avoided facing large fines in a European Union antitrust probe after the company committed to making its contactless payment technology on iOS devices available to competing digital wallets.

The European Commission opened an investigation into Apple’s “Tap and Go” service in 2020. The “Tap and Go” feature allows Apple device users to make contactless payments in stores using near-field-communication (NFC) technologies. The company made its Apple Pay service the sole mobile wallet which can access the NFC feature on iOS—only Apple Pay users could utilize Tap and Go on iOS.