UK Launches Investigation into Apple and Google’s Mobile Ecosystems

The UK has initiated an investigation into Apple and Google’s control over smartphone operating systems, app stores, and browsers. The probe, conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), marks the second use of its newly enhanced regulatory powers to examine major tech firms.

The CMA will assess whether Apple and Google hold "strategic market status" in mobile ecosystems and evaluate their impact on users and businesses offering content and services. CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell emphasized that a more competitive mobile ecosystem could lead to increased innovation and new opportunities in areas like app stores, browsers, and operating systems.

Currently, nearly all smartphones in the UK operate on either Apple's iOS or Google’s Android systems, with both companies holding dominant positions in app stores and browsers. This dominance gives them significant influence over content, services, and technological advancements, according to the CMA.

Apple responded by highlighting its commitment to fostering “thriving and dynamic markets” and stressed that its ecosystem supports thousands of jobs in the UK. The company also emphasized its competitive presence across various markets and jurisdictions, focusing on maintaining user trust.

Google defended its Android operating system, with Senior Director for Competition Oliver Bethell stating that its open-source model has increased choices, lowered prices, and expanded access to smartphones and apps, calling it the “only example of a successful and viable open-source mobile operating system.”

The CMA will investigate whether Apple and Google’s market dominance has led to unfair practices, such as favoring their own apps and services, and whether developers are subjected to unjust terms and conditions. This inquiry follows the CMA’s first investigation into Google’s search services, announced earlier this month.