China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce is reviewing app developers’ accusations Apple abused its market position, Bloomberg reported.

The review – which could lead to a more formal investigation – follows a complaint lodged in early August on behalf of the group of 28 developers by law company Dare & Sure. The companies say Apple removed apps from the App Store without reason, and charged high fees of up to 30 per cent for in-app purchases.

Dare & Sure also complained Apple treated developers in China unfairly in comparison to their US counterparts. In a statement, the law company told Bloomberg it is now representing an additional 22 app developers with similar grievances.

Tencent deal
The news comes as Apple makes moves to expand the use of App Store in China. The US-based company announced a deal with WeChat owner Tencent earlier this week to offer WeChat Pay as an approved payment platform in the store.

WeChat Pay is one of the two major online and mobile payment methods in the country, alongside Alibaba affiliate Alipay.

Apple and Tencent came to the arrangement despite tensions earlier in the year over fees related to in-app tipping, and the launch of a rival app purchase facility by the Chinese company.

China is a thorny market for Apple, with the company reporting double-digit declines in sales for six consecutive quarters.