Apple Could Let Apple Pay Rivals Use the iPhone’s NFC Chip in Europe

Apple is reportedly planning to open up access to the iPhone’s NFC chips to other mobile payments providers in Europe to appease regulators. Reuters reported the information today, citing three people familiar with the matter.

Since Apple launched Apple Pay on the iPhone 6 nearly 10 years ago, the company has always refused to allow other companies to offer alternative tap-and-go payment systems on the iPhone. And Apple has been using the same security argument it’s been plastering to block third-party app stores on iOS.

Last year, the EU Commission sent a Statement of Objections to Apple detailing how the iPhone maker could have abused its dominant position to restrict competition in mobile wallets for iOS. At the time, Apple said in a statement that “Apple Pay is only one of many options available to European consumers for making payments, and has ensured equal access to NFC while setting industry-leading standards for privacy and security.”

According to Reuters’ sources, the EU Commission is “likely to seek feedback next month from rivals and customers before deciding whether to accept Apple’s offer.” As of this writing, it’s unclear what Apple offered in its response to the EU Commission.

Apple Pay is currently being used by over 2,500 banks in Europe, and it definitely contributed to the democratization of contactless payments. However, Android users get a bit more choice on that front as, for example, someone with a Samsung Galaxy device can either use Samsung Pay or Google Pay as their preferred contactless payment option. Whether the EU Commission can push Apple to offer the same flexibility remains to be seen.