Latest news with #SarahCardell
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
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 US 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.
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Alphabet Stock (GOOGL) Drops after Threatened U.K. Crackdown on Mobile Domination
Shares in U.S. tech giant Alphabet (GOOGL) were lower today because of fears of a U.K. clampdown on its mobile platforms. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. U.K. regulator the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said today that it planned to designate Alphabet's Google and Apple (AAPL) with strategic market status for their role in mobile ecosystems. Competition Concerns This means that the CMA, which opened the investigation in January, can take actions against a firm to change or stop specific behaviors or practices in order to address competition concerns. Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome dominate the mobile browser market on iPhones and Android devices, respectively. In the U.K. the CMA said Apple and Google's mobile platforms hold an effective duopoly, with around 90 – 100% of U.K. mobile devices running on their mobile platforms. As such, Europe is a key market for Google. The CMA said this led to issues such as inconsistent app store search rankings favoring apps owned by the firms, and choice architecture, like default settings, pre-installation, prominence, prompts, and friction, which may favor the firms' own services, limiting competition and genuine choice for users. It also highlighted the up to 30% commission charged by the firms on some in-app purchases and restrictions on developers telling customers about cheaper ways to pay or to subscribe outside of the app. 'Apple and Google's mobile platforms are both critical to the U.K. economy … but our investigation so far has identified opportunities for more innovation and choice,' CMA head Sarah Cardell said in a statement. 'The targeted and proportionate actions we have set out today would enable UK app developers to remain at the forefront of global innovation while ensuring U.K. consumers receive a world-class experience.' Changes Needed The CMA said that it wants Apple to review apps for distribution in a 'fair, objective and transparent manner.' This could include remedies such as Apple explaining delays or rejections and creating an avenue for businesses to raise concerns about the process. Apple could also be made to publish a methodology for how it ranks apps in the App Store. The CMA has laid out similar remedies for Google. Google called the move 'disappointing and unwarranted.' 'It is crucial that any new regulation is evidence-based, proportionate and does not become a roadblock to growth in the U.K.,' 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. This is another example of enhanced regulatory crackdown on U.S. tech in the U.K. and Europe. However, it has done little to stop the growth in either Apple's or Google's share price. Is GOOGL a Good Stock to Buy Now? On TipRanks, GOOGL has a Strong Buy consensus based on 30 Buy and 9 Hold ratings. Its highest price target is $250. GOOGL stock's consensus price target is $206.51, implying a 7.93% upside.
Indian Express
6 days 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
6 days 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
Euractiv
6 days ago
- Business
- Euractiv
UK competition watchdog eyes special abuse control regime for Apple, Google
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a preliminary decision to designate mobile platform giants Apple and Google with "strategic market status", meaning they would become subject to special abuse controls by the UK regulator – in a similar approach to the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). On Wednesday, the CMA announced that it's proposing to designate the two tech giants – saying that it had found 90-100% of mobile devices in the UK run on either Apple- or Google-owned mobile platforms, making the pair "an effective duopoly". A "strategic market status" designation on Apple and Google would unlock bespoke powers for the CMA's Digital Markets Unit to tackle platform-specific competition risks, with the wider goal of boosting the UK's app economy. The CMA has a number of concerns about Apple and Google's platforms, including restrictions placed on app developers' ability to steer consumers to offers outside the tech giants' own app stores – an issue which led the EU's executive to slap the iPhone-maker with a €500 million fine under the bloc's DMA earlier this year. It also said it wants to investigate restrictions the two companies' platforms put on developers' access to "features and functionality". Under the EU's DMA, Apple and Google's app stores are both designated as "core platform services" – meaning the app marketplaces are subject to an up-front list of obligations and prohibitions, such the DMA's ban on gatekeepers' self-preferencing. Apple has already been fined in relation to anti-steering under the DMA. Since March it has also been in talks with the Commission about implementing interoperability features to comply with the pan-EU law. Google, meanwhile, was also found by the Commission to have violated the DMA's rules on steering in relation to its Play Store – although it has yet to receive a fine. "Time is of the essence: as competition agencies and courts globally take action in these markets, it's essential the UK doesn't fall behind," said Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, in a statement. Also today, the UK watchdog published separate roadmaps for actions the two mobile giants could take to improve competition – and avoid the risk of future enforcement – outlining measures focused on areas including interoperability, AI services, and consumer choice. A final decision by the CMA on whether to designate Apple and Google with "strategic market status" will be taken by 22 October. (nl)
