"The Commission has decided to accept the commitments offered by Apple. These commitments address our preliminary concerns that Apple may have unlawfully restricted competition for mobile wallets on iPhones," said Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, who heads the EU competition division.

"Apple has until July 25 to implement its commitments. From this date, developers will be able to offer a mobile wallet on the iPhone with the same 'tap and go' experience that until now was reserved for Apple Pay," she added. . .

In 2020, the EU formally launched an antitrust investigation related to Apple Pay. The investigation looked at the terms and conditions Apple sets for integrating Apple Pay into apps and websites and concerns around tap and go technology and alleged refusals to access Apple Pay.

In 2022, the Commission concluded that Apple Pay could restrict competition as it was the only option for iPhone users.

"Therefore, our preliminary conclusion was that Apple abused its dominant position by refusing to supply NFC technology to competing mobile wallet developers," the Commission said.

In Europe, the most available technology for mobile payments in stores is called "Near Field Communication" (NFC). This technology allows wireless communication between a mobile phone and a store's payment terminal. Allows users to “tap and go” with their mobile phone.

NFC technology was not developed by Apple. It is a standardized technology and available for free.

Apple refused to give access to the iPhone's NFC technology to rival wallet developers and instead reserved use of the iPhone's technology to its own mobile wallet solution, the Commission said.

Now, the Commission has ended the investigation and mentioned that iPhone users will be able to use their preferred mobile wallet to make payments in stores.

"They will be able to do so while enjoying all the features of the iPhone, including tap-and-go, Double-Click and FaceID," he added.