Turkey's competition watchdog launches probe into Apple on limitations over payment systems

Reuters - Duvar English

The Turkish Competition Board said on June 6 that it had launched an investigation into contracts made by Apple (AAPL.O) with application developers and its refusal to allow alternative payment systems on the App Store.

The investigation was launched as part of a review of mobile smart devices and software for these devices, the Competition Board said in a statement.

"It is necessary to examine whether this prohibition restricts consumers' ability to access better options (at a lower price) because they are not aware of the existence of alternative payment channels and the difference between the in-app price and the out-of-app price," it noted.

"Another restriction imposed by Apple on app developers in terms of payment services is the mandatory use of Apple's own payment system for in-app purchases. Thus, transactions for the sale of in-app digital content must be made through Apple's payment system. Apple earns a 30% commission on sales made through the system. The investigation needs to examine whether, by requiring its own payment system, Apple has taken away app developers' freedom of choice and prevented other payment systems from entering the Apple ecosystem," it added.

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