Apple and Google: Updating the app stores to ensure greater impartiality, happening in the UK

Under the push of Britain’s regulatory authority, the two tech giants have taken formal commitments to modify how their digital stores operate in the United Kingdom.

The decision follows a period of intense scrutiny by the CMA, determined to curb the near-absolute control that Apple and Google exert over mobile app distribution channels.

This represents one of the first real tests for the new enforcement powers of the Digital Markets rules in Britain, marking a clear step change from traditional, often lengthy, legal disputes.

Fairer app stores: Apple and Google formally commit

The CMA’s intervention stems from the designation, made last year, of the two companies as holders of a strategic market status.

This label formally recognizes a clear reality: almost all smartphones (in the UK as in the rest of the Western world) run on iOS or Android, making it virtually impossible for developers to reach users without going through one of the two major app stores.

In response to regulatory concerns, both companies have agreed to adopt fair and objective criteria in the app review and classification stages.

A crucial point of the agreement concerns the use of data. Regulators have long argued that the approval process can act as a bottleneck, especially when platform owners directly compete with third-party developers.

To mitigate this risk, Apple and Google have committed not to exploit sensitive information collected during the approval procedures to advantage their internal services at the expense of competition. The aim is to make the approval dynamics and the ranking less opaque, ensuring equal treatment for all actors in the ecosystem.

Targeted openings on iOS and ongoing monitoring

While both companies are involved, Apple faces the more substantial demands. The iPhone maker has agreed to create clearer pathways that allow developers to request access to system features within iOS and iPadOS.

The CMA believes that this openness could spur more vigorous competition in key areas such as digital payments, digital identity, and translation tools, allowing rival services to compete on a level playing field with Apple’s digital wallet.

The watchdog will not stop at taking promises: a monitoring system has been established that will track specific metrics, including review times, appeal rates in case of rejection, and the handling of interoperability requests.

This mechanism is designed to ensure that the commitments translate into real, measurable changes, rather than remaining mere statements of intent.

The reactions

Google has framed the outcome of the negotiations as a natural evolution of Android’s open philosophy. In a post on its corporate blog, the Mountain View giant stressed that its platform already supports multiple app stores and alternative payment systems, offering, it says, greater leeway than competitors.

The company emphasized the economic impact of its ecosystem, citing around £9.9 billion in revenue generated for British developers and support for over 450,000 jobs in the country.

This response marks a decidedly softer stance than initial objections, when Google had described the strategic market status designation as disproportionate.

For its part, Apple has remained typically reserved, stating through a spokesperson that the commitments announced will allow continued promotion of innovations in privacy and security for users.

The agreed changes are expected to take effect from April, after a proposal consultation phase, consolidating a regulatory approach aimed at swift, targeted interventions to protect an app economy that generates about 1.5% of the UK GDP.