Apple Under Swiss Antitrust Review Over iPhone NFC Access

Swiss competition authorities have opened a preliminary investigation into Apple’s handling of access to the iPhone’s NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities. The Secretariat of the Swiss Competition Commission said it is assessing whether Apple’s terms and conditions for granting access to the NFC and Secure Element (SE) platform comply with Swiss competition law. 

The inquiry, launched on December 10, 2025, focuses in part on whether other mobile payment app providers can realistically compete with Apple Pay for contactless payments on iOS devices in physical stores. Historically, Apple restricted third-party access to the NFC chip on iPhones, a capability essential for tap-to-pay and other NFC-enabled services. 

In the European Union and European Economic Area (EEA), Apple was required by regulators to open NFC access to third parties at no cost beginning in 2024. Switzerland, not being part of the EU/EEA, was initially excluded from that regime. Following discussions between Apple and the Swiss competition authority, Apple began providing Swiss app developers with access to the NFC & SE platform in late 2024 — but under terms that differ from those mandated in the EEA. 

Under Apple’s current Swiss framework, developers must enter into a commercial agreement with Apple and may be subject to associated fees to use the NFC & SE APIs. The competition watchdog is now gathering information from market participants to determine whether these conditions unfairly disadvantage competitors of Apple Pay. 

The investigation is still in its early stages, and regulators have not yet reached any conclusions about whether Apple has violated Swiss antitrust law.