LONDON: Apple has cautioned that Britain’s push to boost competition in the mobile operating system market may backfire, potentially harming both consumers and developers, while forcing the company to hand over its technology to foreign rivals at no cost.
The warning follows the UK competition regulator’s announcement last month that Apple and Google, which dominates the Android ecosystem, must adopt fairer practices in app distribution. The regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), outlined possible interventions as it prepares to designate both US tech giants with “strategic market status” — a move aimed at curbing their duopoly.
Apple argued that such a designation could weaken privacy and security standards, while also stifling innovation.
“We’re concerned these EU-style rules the UK is advancing are bad for users and bad for developers,” an Apple spokesperson said.
“This approach undermines the privacy and security protections our users have come to expect, hampers our ability to innovate, and forces us to give away our technology for free to foreign competitors.”
A strategic market status would give the CMA broad authority to impose behavioural rules to promote fairer competition. The regulator is expected to make a final decision in October.
Apple said the CMA’s roadmap places emphasis on interoperability—requiring Apple to make its systems more compatible with third-party apps and services—as well as steering, which would allow developers to direct customers to make purchases outside Apple’s App Store. The company warned these measures could expose consumers to fraud while reducing its capacity to invest in new technologies. It also questioned the evidence base used by the CMA, noting limited developer feedback and reliance on survey data.
The iPhone maker insisted it already faces competition from companies such as Samsung and Google, and argued that the proposals risk creating “an uneven playing field.”
Responding to Apple’s concerns, a CMA spokesperson stressed that Britain’s regulatory model differs from the EU’s approach, offering greater flexibility to tailor proportionate solutions.
“Driving greater competition on mobile platforms need not undermine privacy, security or intellectual property,” the regulator said.
