Apple is going to allow iPhone users in Brazil to pay for apps and services outside of the App Store, reports Technoblog.
The tech giant closed an agreement with the Administrative Council of Economic Defense (Cade), which investigated the matter. In practice, this means that there will be more flexibility for consumers, according to Technoblog.
In June the Brazilian antitrust regulator CADE recommended a decision against Apple for what it called anti-competitive practices in the tech giant’s iOS ecosystem, reported Reuters.
The move followed complaints filed in 2022 by firms including Latin American e-commerce platform MercadoLibre over Apple’s alleged restrictions on the distribution of digital goods and on in-app purchases.
MercadoLibre’s complaint, filed in 2022 in Brazil and Mexico, accuses Apple of imposing a series of restrictions on the distribution of digital goods and in-app purchases, including banning apps from distributing third-party digital goods and services such as movies, music, video games, books and written content.
Cade ruled that Apple must allow app developers to add tools so customers can buy their services or products outside the app, such as through the use of hyperlinks to external websites. Another preventive measure is that Apple must allow app developers to offer other in-app payment processing options apart from the one owned by Apple.
This is just the latest of Apple’s woes in Brazil. In March 2021, the Brazil’s consumer protection foundation, Procon has filed Apple R$ 10,546,442.48 (approximately $1.9 million) for selling iPhones without a charger. In July 2022, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon were accused of buying gold illegally mined in Brazil.
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