Lawsuit accuses Apple of antitrust violations over Apple Pay

FILE PHOTO: An Apple iPhone 6 with Apple Pay is shown in this photo illustration in Encinitas, California June 3, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

(Reuters) - Apple Inc was sued on Monday in a proposed class action by payment card issuers accusing the iPhone maker of abusing its market power in mobile devices to thwart competition for its Apple Pay mobile wallet.

According to a complaint filed in San Francisco federal court, Apple "coerces" consumers who use its smartphones, smart watches and tablets into using its own wallet for contactless payments, unlike makers of Android-based devices that let consumers choose wallets such as Google Pay and Samsung Pay.