UK watchdog plans to break Apple and Google’s ‘effective duopoly’ on mobile app stores

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is moving to let app developers steer users away from Apple and Google’s payment systems, a step it says will challenge an “effective duopoly” that controls at least 90% of British mobile devices [1]. The regulator is consulting on lifting restrictions that prevent apps from guiding consumers to external websites to complete purchases, bypassing commissions of up to 30% that both companies charge on in-app transactions [1]. Will Hayter, the CMA executive director for digital markets, said the intervention aims to inject competitive pressure into a part of the mobile ecosystem where it is “sorely lacking” [1]. “This is not only because choice is inherently valuable but also because we see this as the best way to introduce some competitive pressure in a vital part of the mobile ecosystem that is otherwise sorely lacking such pressure,” Hayter said [1]. The CMA’s move follows its decision last October to designate Apple and Google with “strategic market status” for their dominance in mobile, granting the watchdog power to impose bespoke conduct rules [1]. Apple and Google are two of the five dominant US technology firms commonly grouped as Big Tech, a cohort that also includes Microsoft, Amazon and Meta and which collectively accounts for roughly a quarter of the S&P 500 [2]. Apple, founded in 1976 and now valued at just over $4 trillion as of October 2025, has faced recurring criticism over anti-competitive tactics alongside its commercial success [3]. The steering restrictions have had concrete effects on services such as Spotify, which does not permit users to buy monthly subscriptions inside the Apple app store in the UK, directing them instead to its desktop website [1]. The Coalition for App Fairness, a Washington, D.C.-based group whose members include Spotify and Match Group, criticised a proposal that would allow Apple and Google to levy fees on steering, arguing any charges should be backed by “transparent data” explaining the underlying costs [1][5]. Google said it had already implemented changes allowing apps to steer users outside its Play Store and had adjusted its fee structure this week [1]. Apple pushed back, warning that steering users away from its payment infrastructure undermines protections and opens the door to scams and the circumvention of parental controls [1]. The CMA is separately considering whether to require Apple to open access to its near-field communication technology, which could let developers offer contactless payment services within their own iOS apps [1].