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Indian Express
20 minutes ago
- Business
- Indian Express
UK steps up scrutiny of Apple and Google over mobile platforms
Britain on Wednesday told Apple and Google to be fairer in how they distribute apps on their mobile platforms, setting out possible interventions as it plans to designate the U.S. tech companies with strategic market status over their duopoly. The country's competition regulator, which was given a wider remit this year to take on Big Tech, laid out concerns relating to inconsistent and unpredictable app review processes, inconsistent app store search rankings, and up to 30% commission on some in-app purchases. Apple and Google's mobile platforms hold an 'effective duopoly', with around 90-100% of UK mobile devices running on their mobile platforms, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in a statement. 'Apple and Google's mobile platforms are both critical to the UK economy … but our investigation so far has identified opportunities for more innovation and choice,' CMA head Sarah Cardell said. She said the CMA's 'targeted and proportionate' actions would support British app developers – who contribute an estimated 1.5% to the country's economy – to innovate. Interventions could require the companies to make their app store review and ranking processes fairer and more transparent, including fair warnings of changes to the process or guidelines and appropriate channels for businesses to raise concerns. Apple and Google pushed back against the CMA's proposals, with Google calling the step 'disappointing and unwarranted.' 'It is … crucial that any new regulation is evidence-based, proportionate and does not become a roadblock to growth in the UK,' Google's senior director for competition, Oliver Bethell, said. Apple said it was concerned that the new rules being considered would undermine the privacy and security protections expected by its users. 'MISSED OPPORTUNITY' In contrast, 'Fortnite' maker Epic Games, which stands to benefit from a more open mobile ecosystem, said the regulator had not gone far enough. It said the CMA, which gained more global prominence as a regulator following Brexit, had 'deprioritised store competition entirely' by pushing it to be considered in 2026, calling it a 'missed opportunity.' The company, which has launched its own marketplace app in Europe, said it could not bring its app store to Apple's mobile operating system (iOS) in Britain this year and said that Fortnite's return to Apple's iOS was also uncertain. The regulator is also under pressure from Britain's Labour government, which has called on regulators to prioritise growth in hopes of rejuvenating a stagnant economy to regain voter confidence. A final decision on both the designations will be made by October 22, the CMA said. It also published roadmaps on potential further action as part of these parallel investigations. A strategic market status designation allows the CMA to impose interventions on a company, such as requiring it to adhere to specific behaviour so as not to undermine fair competition. For Alphabet-owned Google, mobile platforms are the second market where it has come in for closer scrutiny under the CMA's new regime, following the watchdog's proposal last month to designate Google in general search and search advertising.
The Star
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
UK seeks to curb Apple, Google's grip on mobile platforms
CMA said it proposes to designate Apple and Google's mobile platforms with 'strategic market status (SMS)', subjecting them to special requirements under new UK regulations. — Reuters LONDON: Britain's competition watchdog on Wednesday proposed measures to tackle Apple and Google's dominance in the mobile device market, as it looks to rein in the US tech giants' so-called duopoly. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it proposes to designate Apple and Google's mobile platforms with "strategic market status (SMS)", subjecting them to special requirements under new UK regulations. An investigation was launched in January into the companies' control over the mobile ecosystems, including operating systems, app stores and browsers. The CMA described their dominance as "an effective duopoly". "Apple and Google's mobile platforms are both critical to the UK economy ... but our investigation so far has identified opportunities for more innovation and choice," CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said in a statement. Google's spokesman on competition, Oliver Bethell, said the announcement was "disappointing and unwarranted". If approved, the SMS designation would allow the CMA to require Apple and Google to change how certain mobile services operate, with the aim of offering consumers greater choice. The regulator stressed that the designation does not imply that these companies have acted anti-competitively. The final decision is subject to consultation and expected by October 22. A similar tech competition law from the European Union, the Digital Markets Act, carries the potential for hefty financial penalties. The CMA in June proposed designating Google with SMS designation in the search engine market due to its dominant position. – AFP
Al Etihad
14 hours ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
UK seeks to curb Apple, Google's grip on mobile platforms
23 July 2025 18:56 LONDON (AFP)Britain's competition watchdog on Wednesday proposed measures to tackle Apple and Google's dominance in the mobile device market, as it looks to rein in the US tech giants' so-called Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it proposes to designate Apple and Google's mobile platforms with "strategic market status (SMS)", subjecting them to special requirements under new UK investigation was launched in January into the companies' control over the mobile ecosystems, including operating systems, app stores and CMA described their dominance as "an effective duopoly"."Apple and Google's mobile platforms are both critical to the UK economy ... but our investigation so far has identified opportunities for more innovation and choice," CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said in a spokesman on competition, Oliver Bethell, said the announcement was "disappointing and unwarranted".If approved, the SMS designation would allow the CMA to require Apple and Google to change how certain mobile services operate, with the aim of offering consumers greater regulator stressed that the designation does not imply that these companies have acted final decision is subject to consultation and expected by October 22.A similar tech competition law from the European Union, the Digital Markets Act, carries the potential for hefty financial penalties. The CMA in June proposed designating Google with SMS designation in the search engine market due to its dominant position.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Apple and Google face more UK antitrust scrutiny over mobile ecosystems
LONDON: Britain's competition regulator said it plans to designate Apple and Google with so-called strategic market status for their role in mobile ecosystems , as it steps up scrutiny of what it has described as their duopoly. The plans announced on Wednesday follows findings by an inquiry group at Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that a number of markets relating to mobile internet browsers were not working well for consumers or businesses. Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome dominate the mobile browser market on iPhones and Android devices, respectively. A strategic market status (SMS) designation allows the CMA to impose interventions on a firm, such as requiring it to adhere to specific behaviour so as not to undermine fair competition. In Apple and Google's cases, they could be forced to offer more features and give users the option actively to choose their preferred mobile browser, if recommendations from the CMA's inquiry group are accepted. Both Apple and Google pushed back against the CMA's proposals, with Google calling the step "disappointing and unwarranted." "It is ... crucial that any new regulation is evidence-based, proportionate and does not become a roadblock to growth in the UK," Google's senior director for competition, Oliver Bethell, said. Apple said separately it was concerned that the new rules being considered would undermine the privacy and security protections expected by its users.
Economic Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
UK regulator seeks special status for Apple and Google that could mandate changes for Big Tech
Britain's antitrust watchdog has proposed labeling Google's and Apple's mobile ecosystems with "strategic market status," which would mandate changes at the Big Tech companies to improve Competition and Markets Authority's announcement Wednesday follows separate investigations it opened at the start of the year into Google's Android and Apple's iOS, using newly acquired digital market regulations designed to protect consumers and businesses from unfair practices by Big Tech watchdog said Apple and Google hold an "effective duopoly," with 90-100% of mobile devices in Britain running on either mobile platform. Its investigation found a range of concerns affecting businesses and consumers such as unpredictable app reviews, inconsistent app store search rankings and commissions on in-app purchases of as much as 30%.The CMA also unveiled separate "roadmaps" for each company outlining possible measures to improve competition, including "fair and transparent" app reviews and app store rankings to give British app developers "certainty."The watchdog also recommends letting app developers "steer" users to channels outside of app stores where users can make purchases, mirroring similar efforts by the European called the watchdog's decision "disappointing and unwarranted," and said Android has saved app developers money because they didn't have to adapt to different operating models for each "crucial that any new regulation is evidence-based, proportionate and does not become a roadblock to growth in the U.K.," the company's senior director of competition, Oliver Bethell, said it was worried the CMA's moves could pose increase risks for users and jeopardize the U.K.'s "developer economy.""We're concerned the rules the U.K. is now considering would undermine the privacy and security protections that our users have come to expect, hamper our ability to innovate, and force us to give away our technology for free to foreign competitors," Apple said in a statement. "We will continue to engage with the regulator to make sure they fully understand these risks."The regulator is seeking feedback on its proposal and has until Oct. 22 to make a final decision.
