CMA to investigate Apple and Google's mobile ecosystems
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-23)

Investigations will determine if Apple and Google have strategic market status in their mobile ecosystems, including operating systems, app stores and mobile browsers.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today launched strategic market status (SMS) investigations in a second area of digital activity: mobile ecosystems.

Two investigations – one into Apple and another into Google – will assess in parallel these firms’ position in their respective ‘mobile ecosystems’ which include the operating systems, app stores and browsers that operate on mobile devices. The investigations will explore the impact on people who use mobile devices and the thousands of businesses developing innovative services or content such as apps for these devices.

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets play a fundamental role in the lives of people in the UK. Almost all (94%) of 16+ year olds in the UK – around 56 million UK consumers – currently have access to a smartphone and the average UK user spends around 3 hours a day using a mobile device. People use these devices to browse the internet, shop, play and consume content in the palm of their hand. And millions of businesses across the economy use mobile devices, for example to communicate with customers, manage orders and take payments.

Almost 15,000 businesses are involved in the development of apps used on mobile devices in the UK, and the total UK revenue for app development is estimated to be around £28 billion. Many other businesses are seeking to bring forward technological developments on mobile devices like digital wallets, as well as connected devices like headphones and smart watches which work with mobile devices. It’s important that these markets work well for all businesses, large and small, to create maximum opportunities for growth, investment and innovation across the UK economy.

Virtually all mobile devices sold in the UK are pre-installed with either iOS (Apple) or Android (Google) and Apple’s and Google’s own app stores and browsers have either exclusive or leading positions on their platforms compared to alternative products and services. This means Apple and Google are also able to exert considerable influence over much of the content, services and technological development provided on a mobile device.

Given the importance of mobile ecosystems to people, businesses and the economy, it is critical that competition works well. Effective competition could ensure consumers and businesses are treated fairly by Apple and Google in relation to the terms and conditions they impose. Effective competition could also ensure open opportunities for businesses to innovate and deliver a range of content, services and technological developments to consumers on a mobile device. This may include AI products and services, contactless payments provided through digital wallets, new types of apps (such as super apps and web apps) accessed through a mobile browser. This could in turn support sustained growth opportunities in the parts of the economy that rely on mobile ecosystems.

Under the digital markets competition regime, the CMA may designate firms with SMS in relation to a particular digital activity. Once designated, the CMA can impose conduct requirements or propose pro-competition interventions to achieve positive outcomes for UK consumers and businesses.

The investigations will assess Apple’s and Google’s position in relation to their mobile operating systems, app stores and browsers (together referred to as ecosystems) and whether either firm has SMS in these areas. At the same time the CMA will also consider whether conduct requirements should be imposed in the event of a final designation decision.

The issues that will form part of the CMA’s investigations include:

The extent of competition between and within Apple’s and Google’s mobile ecosystems. The CMA will assess how competition is working across Apple’s and Google’s mobile ecosystems and what barriers may be preventing other competitors from offering rival products and services on Apple’s and Google’s platforms.

Possible leveraging of Apple’s and Google’s market power into other activities. This will include investigating whether Apple or Google are using their position in operating systems, app distribution or browsers to favour their own apps and services, which often come pre-installed and prominently placed on iOS and Android devices.

Potential exploitative conduct. This will include investigating whether Apple or Google are requiring app developers to sign up to unfair terms and conditions as a condition of distributing their apps on Apple’s and Google’s app stores; and whether users may be presented with ‘choice architecture’ which makes it difficult to make active choices about which apps they are using on mobile devices.

Potential conduct requirements could include, for example, requiring Apple or Google to open up access to key functionality needed by other apps to operate on mobile devices; or making it possible for users to download apps and pay for in-app content more easily outside of Apple’s and Google’s own app stores.

The CMA will take a proportionate and transparent approach to this investigation and will now focus on engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including device manufacturers, software developers and user groups – as well as gathering evidence from Apple and Google before reaching a decision by the end of October 2025.

Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said:

The operating systems, apps and browsers installed on our phones and tablet devices act as our gateway into the digital world – whether that is communicating with our friends and loved ones, buying from businesses or accessing creative content.

More competitive mobile ecosystems could foster new innovations and new opportunities across a range of services that millions of people use, be they app stores, browsers or operating systems. Better competition could also boost growth here in the UK, with businesses able to offer new and innovative types of products and services on Apple’s and Google’s platforms.

More information can be found on the respective Apple (https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/sms-investigation-into-apples-mobile-ecosystem) and Google (https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/sms-investigation-into-googles-mobile-ecosystem) mobile ecosystem case pages.

More information on the digital markets competition regime can be found via the CMA’s explainer page (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-the-uks-digital-markets-competition-regime-works).

Notes to Editors

1 . The statutory deadline for both investigations is Wednesday 22 October 2025.

2 . Anyone with an interest in these investigations is invited to comment until Wednesday 12 February.

3 . Today’s announcement is the second of three areas of digital activity expected to come under CMA investigation within the first six months of the regime coming into force following the announcement of its Search investigation (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-to-investigate-googles-search-services).

4 . The regime forms part of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act which received Royal Assent in May 2024.

5 . Under the digital markets competition regime, the CMA may designate firms with SMS in relation to a particular digital activity. If designated, the CMA could impose conduct requirements or introduce pro-competition interventions to achieve positive outcomes for UK consumers and businesses. For any business to be able to be designated with strategic market status it must be found to have:

Substantial and entrenched market power in a digital activity linked to the United Kingdom.

A position of strategic significance.

Global turnover of more than £25 billion or UK turnover of more than £1 billion.

6 . These investigations are separate to the CMA’s ongoing Market Investigation into Mobile Browsers and Cloud Gaming (https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/mobile-browsers-and-cloud-gaming). In its provisional report, the inquiry group leading that market investigation recommended that the CMA launch an SMS investigation after provisional findings suggested that Apple’s and Google’s business practices are holding back competition in the mobile browsers market.

7 . For media enquiries, contact the CMA press office on xx-xxxx-xxxx or xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).