The Brazilian competition authority has made a significant decision regarding Apple and its in-app payment policies. The agency aims to address concerns raised by MercadoLibre, a leading e-commerce platform in Latin America, which has filed a formal complaint against Apple for its restrictive practices related to digital purchases.
The Brazilian antitrust body, Cade, announced that Apple is required to remove its limitations on payment methods for in-app purchases. This directive follows an investigation related to allegations made by MercadoLibre, which filed its complaint in 2022, encompassing both Brazil and Mexico.
According to the assertions made by MercadoLibre, Apple has enforced several constraints regarding the sale of digital items and in-app purchases. These restrictions include prohibiting applications from selling third-party digital services or products like movies, music, video games, books, and written content.
In their formal complaint, MercadoLibre expressed concerns over Apple's mandate that developers offering digital goods or services within their applications must exclusively utilize Apple's payment system. Moreover, Apple has been criticized for preventing developers from directing consumers to their own websites for purchases.
- Cade has determined that Apple must permit app developers to integrate tools allowing customers to purchase products or services externally, such as through hyperlinks to outside websites.
- Additionally, developers will be enabled to present alternative payment processing options aside from those managed by Apple.
Cade has allocated a 20-day timeframe for Apple to adhere to these regulations. Should Apple fall short of these criteria, the company will face a daily fine of approximately 250,000 real (around $43,000 or roughly Rs. 36 lakh).