Tinder owner Match warns Apple’s app fee could curb India growth

New Delhi: Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, has told India’s antitrust regulator that Apple’s commission fee of up to 30% on in-app payments could hamper its revenue growth and scalability in the country over time, as per the news report.

In a submission to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Match urged the watchdog to impose strong directives against what it described as Apple’s “anti-competitive practices,” according to documents reviewed by Reuters.

“Apple’s policies adversely affect the return on capital and revenue streams of Match’s portfolio brands,” the company said in its filing. “In the long term, the constraints and excessive fee imposed by Apple will stifle the growth and scalability of Match’s portfolio brands,” it added.

Match and Apple have been in an ongoing dispute since 2022, when the CCI opened an antitrust probe into Apple’s conduct in its iPhone operating system (iOS) app ecosystem. Investigators had previously reported that the company engaged in “abusive conduct” within its app market.

Apple has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that it is a relatively small player in India, where most smartphones use Google’s Android operating system. The company did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, and neither did Match or the CCI.

The case comes as Apple faces regulatory pressure in several global markets. In a separate ruling last week, a London tribunal found the company had abused its dominant position by charging app developers unfair commissions.

Apple’s smartphone base in India has quadrupled over the past five years. As of mid-2025, its iOS powered around 4.5% of the country’s 735 million smartphones, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

India’s dating app market, where Tinder is a major player, is projected to be worth approximately $1.42 billion by 2030, advisory firm MarketNtel estimates.