Tech

Apple will let rivals use tap-to-pay feature to avoid EU antitrust fines

The US tech giant has pitched a 10-year offer to give other ‘mobile wallet’ providers access to its closely guarded payments chip

Apple’s EU offer would allow third-party developers ‘an option that will enable their users to make NFC contactless payments from within their iOS apps’. Picture: Getty

Apple has vowed to open up its coveted tap-to-pay technology on iPhones to its rivals in a bid to sidestep potentially massive European Union antitrust fines.

The European Commission announced on Friday that the US tech giant has pitched a 10-year offer to give other “mobile wallet” providers access to its closely guarded payments chip on Apple devices.

This followed EU warnings that restricting access to the technology amounted to an abuse of its market ...