Apple again fined $5.7 million for a dispute in the App Store by Dutch watchdog

Apple products are known for their reliability, accessibility, and security. We guess it was the dream of Steve Jobs to see Apple as a company to success. By the end of 2021, Apple's market value stood at $2.91 trillion, making it one of the most successful American tech companies.

It is way ahead of Microsoft, which is a Giga giant itself. But along with all the positive valuation reviews, the company is still trying to dictate its way of purchasing digital products via outside sources.

Unlike the Android or Windows computer market, the App Store is unrivalled by any developer company. The only way to purchase products is through the App Store, off which Apples takes a fee.

They mentioned that the App Store wouldn't be as secure if other methods were introduced from the Apple side. They are highly regulating the cash flow via Apple's payment system. Again, it is making headlines and controversies.

The Dutch antitrust watchdog strikes Apple again for the third time. This time around, a fine of $5.72 million (5 million euros) has been slapped to Apple. The tech giant is failing to meet standards set by countries' regulations. The last big bang occurred when the famous video game Fortnight publisher Epic Games Store fought with Apple. It is not yet correctly resolved. Developers want the freedom to have multiple revenue methods as many customers may not have diversified options.

On Monday, the antitrust watchdog fined Apple to follow Netherlands' non-Apple payment methods. A list of dating apps in the store coming from the Netherlands could benefit from third-party payments, which Apple is restricting firmly. The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) set up a weekly fining schedule for Apple to pay as they missed the January deadline. The watchdog specified they would slap fines again if 15 deadlines were ignored, and it did.

According to Reuters, 'Apple is under pressure over its commissions on in-app purchases in many countries.' Though Apple did not disclose the matter sincerely, an official statement was finally published for us to share. The report came directly from the Apple developer blog, which focused on 'distributing dating apps in the Netherlands.'

Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) gave Apple three options to adopt they are as follows:

• Continue using Apple's in-app purchase system.

• Third-party payment gateway within the app.

• Including a link would lead the customer directly to the developer website for purchasing.

In response, Apple wants the developers to change app binary only to be available in the Netherlands. The App Store will review the terms and comply with ACM policies. Developers using different entitlements should make the app available only in the Netherlands, and those happy with the current system do not need to make any change. From both sides, the matter is quite rough.

From the Apple side of the business, developers must choose entitlement time if they want The StoreKit External Purchases Entitlement or The StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement via the request an entitlement form. The account holder or developers have access to those functionalities, and they will rearrange the order of things respectively.

A solid documentary is given with the official report to configure and enable the entitlement in the XCode. ACM said, "ACM is disappointed in Apple's behaviour and actions." Apple is currently charging 27 per cent commissions from in-app purchases, which are not processed directly. To comply and be "consistent with the ACM order," the company is set up a regulatory system to take quick decisions, which is not fast enough to bail out of a fine.

The Dutch watchdog's contentious fine slapped on Apple finally revoked its cooperation strategy.