Apple, Google agree to App Store reforms after UK regulator pressure

Apple and Google have agreed to introduce changes to their mobile app stores in the UK in a move aimed at making them fairer and more transparent for developers, Britain’s competition regulator said on Tuesday.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) welcomed the commitments as an important early outcome of its new regulatory regime, which gives it stronger powers to rein in the influence of dominant technology firms. 

In October, the CMA designated Apple and Google as having “strategic market status” in the smartphone sector, allowing it to demand specific actions to improve competition.

Almost all smartphones in the UK operate on either Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android systems, giving the companies’ app stores and browsers a dominant position on their respective platforms. 

The CMA has previously argued that this dominance allows both firms to exert significant control over digital content, services, and technological innovation.

Under the agreed commitments, Apple and Google will ensure that apps are reviewed using fair, objective, and transparent processes. 

Developers will also be able to request greater access to certain Apple iOS features in order to build competing services, including in areas such as digital wallets and live translation.

Apple said it faces intense competition across all markets and emphasized that the changes would allow it to continue investing in privacy and security protections while supporting developers. 

Google said it believed its existing developer policies were already fair and transparent but welcomed the chance to work collaboratively with the CMA to address concerns.