Apple has lost its bid to overturn a €50 million ($58 million) antitrust fine after the Rotterdam District Court confirmed the company abused its App Store dominance to squeeze dating-app developers.
The court sided with the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), which ruled in December 2021 that Apple’s in-app payment rules broke competition law. According to Reuters, the ACM found three practices especially harmful: forcing dating services to use Apple’s billing system, banning links that let users pay elsewhere, and charging commissions of up to 30 percent on every subscription or digital purchase.
Apple refused to comply outright, arguing its payment rails protected users and offered developers a safe checkout. The ACM was unconvinced. Starting in January 2022, the watchdog levied weekly penalties of €5 million, hitting the €50 million cap in ten weeks. Monday’s ruling keeps the full amount in place and warns Apple to “cease and desist” its illegal conduct or face new sanctions.
A Climb-Down That Impressed Nobody
Under pressure, Apple opened the Dutch storefront to two alternatives: dating apps could send users to a browser to pay, or integrate a third-party processor inside the app. Either way, the commission slid only to 27 percent, just three points lower than the status quo. Developer groups called the tweak cosmetic, saying the higher fee wiped out any savings and left the user experience clunky.
Match Group, owner of Tinder and OkCupid, told Reuters that Apple’s “take-it-or-leave-it offer” shows why regulators across the globe are peeling back App Store rules. The U.S. firm is still calculating how much money it lost while waiting for Apple to comply.
Apple counters that its fees cover payment processing, fraud prevention, and platform maintenance. In a statement to Reuters, a spokesperson said the ruling “undermines the tools we have built to help developers and protect users” and confirmed the company will appeal to the Dutch Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal. The appeal does not halt the fine, and Apple must keep giving developers alternative payment options while the case winds on.
The verdict lands as Apple faces a fresh wave of scrutiny. In March, the European Commission opened an inquiry into whether the company’s new Digital Markets Act plan, which also imposes a 27 percent commission on off-store payments, violates the spirit of the law. In the United States, the Justice Department’s long-anticipated antitrust lawsuit is expected later this year, potentially forcing broader changes to App Store economics.
Dutch regulators say Monday’s judgment should signal to gatekeepers that partial measures will not cut it. For developers, the immediate impact is narrow and local: only dating apps in the Netherlands benefit today. Yet the symbolism is global. If a small regulator can lock in a multimillion-euro penalty and force Apple to pry open a slice of its walled garden, larger watchdogs may feel emboldened to demand deeper cuts and bigger concessions in the months ahead.