Apple and Google blasted by lawmakers, Spotify and Match over app store fees

  • App makers told US senators that the mandatory revenue sharing amounts to antitrust behaviour
  • Tinder owner Match says it pays nearly US$500 million in fees to the app stores annually, the company’s single largest expense

Apple unveils AirTag, in this still image from the keynote video of a special event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, US, released on April 20, 2021. Photo: Handout

A panel of US senators questioned officials from Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google on Wednesday about the dominance of their mobile app stores and whether the companies abuse their power at the expense of smaller competitors.

Amy Klobuchar, the top Senate Democrat on antitrust issues, said Apple and Google can use their power to “exclude or suppress apps that compete with their own products” and “charge excessive fees that affect competition.”

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