The Chinese State Administration for Industry and Commerce is reviewing allegations from app developers that Apple has abused its dominance in the market.
A collective of 28 developers made their original complaint in early August via the law firm Dare & Sure, claiming that Apple had baselessly removed apps from the App Store as well as charging them fees of as much as 30% on in-app purchases.
In addition, Dare & Sure claim that Apple gave preferential treatment to US app developers compared to their Chinese peers. The law firm noted that since it was first approached regarding the matter, a further 22 app developers have lodged similar complaints.
The allegations have been made public just as Apple seeks to push the App Store’s presence in China. The firm recently signed a deal with WeChat’s owner Tencent in order that will see WeChat Pay – one of China’s two major mobile payment methods - offered as an approved platform via the App Store.
The agreement between Apple and Tencent was reached despite disagreements earlier this year over fees charged based on tips paid via the app, as well as Tencent debuting a rival app purchase facility.
China has frequently proven a challenging market for Apple, with the US firm seeing its sales drop over six consecutive quarters.
