UK regulator seeks special status for Apple and Google that could mandate changes for Big Tech

Key Points

• Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority has proposed granting Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android “strategic market status” under new digital market regulations to enforce changes that boost competition in mobile ecosystems.
• The CMA found an “effective duopoly” with 90–100% of UK devices on these platforms, citing concerns over unpredictable app reviews, inconsistent store rankings and commissions on in-app purchases of up to 30%.
• It released separate “roadmaps” for Apple and Google outlining measures such as fair and transparent app reviews and search rankings to give British developers greater certainty.
• Google called the move “disappointing and unwarranted,” warning regulation must be evidence-based, and the CMA will decide on the proposal by Oct. 22 after seeking feedback.

LONDON (AP) — 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.

The 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 companies.

The 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 Union.

Google 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 smartphone.

It's “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.

Apple 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.