Skip to main content

U.K. agency says Apple and Google are stifling user choice in their app stores

Apple and Google’s mobile platforms have faced a maelstrom of criticism regarding their respective app store and operating system rules, and the U.K.’s Competition and Market Authority (CMA) is adding to that cacophony of voices. After the result of a probe this year, the CMA concluded that the mobile duopoly is leading to “less competition and meaningful choice” for customers.

The CMA highlighted a few incidents of concern. Apple famously not allowing Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming app into the App Store merited a mention, as did Google’s deals with smartphone makers to include Chrome and other Google apps in exchange for access to the Google Play Store and Google Play Services.

Google Play Store.
Digital Trends

“Apple and Google have developed a vise-like grip over how we use mobile phones, and we’re concerned that it’s causing millions of people across the U.K. to lose out,” Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said, “Most people know that Apple and Google are the main players when it comes to choosing a phone. But it can be easy to forget that they set all the rules, too – from determining which apps are available on their app stores to making it difficult for us to switch to alternative browsers on our phones. This control can limit innovation and choice, and lead to higher prices — none of which is good news for users.”

The mobile duopoly is an interesting, self-perpetuating cycle. Developers can’t choose to launch on hypothetical operating systems that aren’t iOS or Android if they hope to reach mass appeal, and those hypothetical operating systems can’t keep up if they only — at best — match what iOS and Android currently offer. It happened in the past with phone makers trying out Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10, and other smaller operating systems. Even now, Huawei is doing its best to go it alone with HarmonyOS and an alternate App Store, but the company has found its sales shrinking regardless.

How do we fix it?

In its report, the CMA highlights a few potential fixes regarding sideloading and changing default apps, though it’s worth noting that both are painless affairs on Android at this time. The CMA also says that Apple and Google should allow users to change defaults like browsers, as well as allow alternate payment systems.

A more robust measure would involve labeling Apple and Google as meeting a proposed “Strategic Market Status,” a move that would make them subject to a code of conduct that would prevent them from acting in an anticompetitive manner via the force of law.

Google Play Store on a Huawei P20 Pro.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

“We want the U.K. to remain a place where all tech firms can thrive, and this study underlines the importance of ensuring mobile app stores are fair and competitive,” said Chris Philp, the U.K. government’s tech and digital economy minister, as quoted by the Guardian. “Our new pro-competition regime will level the playing field between tech giants and smaller businesses and prevent abuses that could curtail growth and innovation. We are grateful for the CMA’s work to date and look forward to the final recommendations.”

A basic conundrum

Even as Apple and Google have faced down lawsuits from Epic Games and are embroiled in regulatory brawls spanning from South Korea to the U.S., it is worth noting that mobile commentators have encouraged the integration and standardization being criticized here, especially when it comes to Android. Once a confusing Wild West with Google letting phone makers install all sorts of competing apps and services that led to a compromised end-user experience, the more or less standardized Android experience is a cleaner and user-friendly one. Even things like encouraging and adopting a centralized payments system (though it benefited Apple and Google) also provided value to the customer by making it safer to make and manage mobile purchases and subscriptions.

To be clear, allowing for things like alternate app stores and sideloading is good for competition, but much of the criticism levied at the current mobile ecosystems strays into labeling their current approaches as intrinsically bad rather than necessary at the time. Much like with failed interventions aimed at getting people to forgo using browsers or search engines in the name of encouraging competition, it’s not exactly clear what success would look like if users don’t adopt competing services in notable numbers.

Editors' Recommendations

Michael Allison
A UK-based tech journalist for Digital Trends, helping keep track and make sense of the fast-paced world of tech with a…
App subscription fatigue is quickly ruining my smartphone
App Store displayed on an iPhone 14 Pro against a pink background

When I first got an iPhone in 2008, I remember checking out web apps, which were basically websites that I would keep bookmarked on the home screen. Every time I opened them up, they somehow didn’t look like I just launched mobile Safari. Eventually, Apple launched the App Store in July 2008, mostly eliminating the need for antiquated web apps.

Since the App Store opened up, we've gotten to see innovative new apps and games that took our iPhones to a completely new level — showing us what our devices were capable of. I was excited to see and hear about new apps for a variety of things, from task managers to camera replacement apps to photo editors to journals and so much more. Games were also making use of the iPhone’s accelerometer and gyroscope sensors, so it wasn’t just always about touchscreen controls.

Read more
The U.K. wants to break up Google and Apple’s cloud gaming stranglehold
Playing Diablo Immortal on the Asus ROG Phone 5.

The U.K.'s Competition and Market Authority (CMA) is opening an investigation into Apple and Google's dominance of the mobile browser and cloud gaming markets, the body announced today. Both companies could face fines and additional regulation if found guilty of anticompetitive behavior.

The investigation comes as a result of a consultation the body had launched in June, finding that Apple and Google's duopoly on mobile allowed them to control not just operating systems, but app stores and web browsers. The CMA says that both companies controlled 97% of all mobile browsing experiences in the U.K. in 2021 and notes that they could effectively control cloud gaming through browser restrictions. The consultation revealed support from browser vendors and cloud gaming service providers who claim to be limited by the duopoly, with about 86% requesting for an in-depth investigation.

Read more
This EU law could force Apple to open up iMessage and the App Store
Someone holding an iPhone 14 with the display turned on.

The EU's Digital Markets Act (or DMA) has gone into force today. It could force Apple to open up the iPhone's iMessage and app-buying platforms to third-party apps and services. Companies that fall afoul of the act could be fined up to 20% of global turnover. Apple has previously criticized the DMA for being a "blunt instrument."

The DMA aims to allow smaller services to compete more equitably with larger ones. This means that companies with a certain number of users, labeled as gatekeepers, would have to make their platforms interoperable with smaller ones. Large platforms like Facebook or iMessage, for example, would be required to open up, while something like Signal could scrape by.

Read more