To comply with the local laws, Apple had submitted its plans to allow developers to use third-party payment options for all apps in South Korea and for dating apps in the Netherlands, but it appears that both the countries are not happy with Apple's measures. The Dutch antitrust regulator on February 7 fined Apple 5 million euros for a third week in a row for not properly complying with its order and South Korea's telecom regulator on February 3 sought more clarity on Apple's plans. Developers across the world have long complained that Apple and Google charge hefty commissions and place restrictions on directing users to alternative payment options, and South Korea and the Netherlands are the first two countries to mandate Apple to allow alternative payment. Many others including India and US, may follow suit and what Apple ends up doing in South Korea and Netherlands will serve as an indication of what is coming to the rest of the world. Why is Apple being fined in the Netherlands? Apple on January 14 said that it will allow dating apps in the Netherlands to offer non-Apple payment options to users in compliance with a recent order issued by the country’s Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), but the regulator on January 24 said that Apple has failed to satisfy the requirements of the order for the following reasons: Plan not in effect: Dating-app providers are still unable to use other payment systems because Apple is yet to modify its conditions. "At the…
