Apple is coming under fire in the European Union over its use of NFC in iPhones. The company debuted the feature with the iPhone 6, but restricted its use to enabling Apple Pay’s mobile payment feature. The EU is reportedly preparing to file charges over this, with the intent of forcing Apple to open up its NFC chip to third parties, according to a Reuters report.
Mobile payments are an essential part of how modern smartphones are used, with both Google and Apple leading the charge on their respective mobile operating systems. While Android allows for some third-party integration — Samsung Pay comes to mind — Apple locks the use of NFC to its own Apple Pay solution. Not only does this mean that third-party payment providers can’t operate on iPhones, but NFC capabilities like quick sharing effectively don’t exist on the iPhone.
According to the report, the EU plans to prepare a charge sheet (known as a statement of objections) for Apple as early as next year, focusing primarily on that NFC limitation. The charge sheet comes after an investigation into the effect of Apple’s restrictions on both NFC and Apple Pay on the competition.
European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, who is in charge of competition policy, opened an investigation into Apple Pay earlier this year, saying: “Mobile payment solutions are rapidly gaining acceptance among users of mobile devices, facilitating payments both online and in physical stores. This growth is accelerated by the coronavirus crisis, with increasing online payments and contactless payments in stores. It appears that Apple sets the conditions on how Apple Pay should be used in merchants’ apps and websites. It also reserves the ‘tap and go’ functionality of iPhones to Apple Pay. It is important that Apple’s measures do not deny consumers the benefits of new payment technologies, including better choice, quality, innovation and competitive prices. I have therefore decided to take a close look at Apple’s practices regarding Apple Pay and their impact on competition.”
Apple has recently faced down antitrust suits over the App Store, including one in Japan where the company was forced to allow developers to link outside their apps. With regulation against large tech companies on the rise, the company can expect to face more scrutiny in the coming months, even after its semi-victory over Epic Games.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.