Highlights
- Apple and Google agree to avoid discriminating against competing third-party apps in UK app stores.
- Competition watchdog secures voluntary commitments rather than legally binding measures.
- Controversial 30 per cent app store fees remain unaddressed in current agreement.
Under the agreement, both US companies have pledged greater transparency in vetting third-party apps before approving them for their app stores.
They must not discriminate against rival apps in search rankings and have agreed not to misuse data from third-party applications, such as exploiting information about app updates to enhance their own offerings.
Apple has additionally committed to simplifying developers' access to features including its digital wallet and live translation for AirPod users.
The commitments form part of a new regulatory regime overseen by the CMA, which determined last year that both companies possessed "substantial, entrenched" market power.
Critics question effectiveness
Competition lawyer Tom Smith from Geradin Partners, a former CMA director representing app developers challenging the tech giants' dominance, described the changes as "lightweight" with no legal enforcement.
The voluntary nature of the commitments has raised concerns about their effectiveness.
The agreement does not address developers' primary grievance: fees up to 30 per cent that Apple and Google charge for sales through their app stores. The CMA continues examining whether to tackle these charges separately.
Both companies must provide the regulator with data showing app submission numbers, approval rates, review times, and complaint outcomes.
The CMA will monitor applications to use Apple's operating system features.
If companies fail implementing commitments effectively, the watchdog will impose formal requirements under new enforcement powers. The commitments take effect on 1st April.
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell stated the ability to secure immediate commitments "reflects the unique flexibility of the UK digital markets competition regime".
The News Media Association questioned whether commitments were "really worth the paper they are printed on".
Apple cited "fierce competition" while defending its practices, while Google described its ecosystem as a "driver of growth" in the UK economy.
