UK competitions body urged to crack down on Apple-Google duopoly

The United Kingdom’s competition watchdog has been urged to use newly invested powers to launch a probe into the Apple and Google duopoly in the mobile browser market. 

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Friday its independent inquiry body had provisionally found the market was not working well for businesses and millions of consumers in the U.K.

Set up under a CMA commission, the inquiry group produced a report that set out the position Apple’s rules prohibit competitors from providing effective alternatives to the Safari browser embedded on iPhone and iPad devices.

Complaints emerged from several competitors including Samsung and DuckDuckGo, which stated they could not use “a full range of browser features, such as faster webpage loading on iPhone” because of the system in place. 

The CMA, which recently critiqued Google’s ad tech practices, also acknowledged the requests and desire of British developers to pursue progressive web apps (PWAs), effectively browser-friendly adaptations of apps, but seemingly cannot until Apple accepts the functionality. 

To further complicate the situation, a revenue-sharing agreement between Apple and Google also reduces the appetite of fledgling developers to compete in mobile browsers on Apple devices. 

This latest analysis follows on from a 2022 report from the CMA that declared Apple and Google had a duopoly over “operating systems, app stores, and web browsers on mobile devices.”

We’ve provisionally found that competition between mobile browsers isn't working well, holding back innovation in the UK.

Our proposed recommendations could result in consumers having better browsers to choose from when accessing the web on mobile.https://t.co/wSRGWGL0ue pic.twitter.com/Rawv2UidBk

— Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) November 22, 2024

The CMA’s Digital Markets Unit, established more than three years ago, has received new powers and a greater remit to counter the dominance of big tech firms with the ability to intervene in the market. 

It is expected that the digital markets taskforce will commence its work and authority at the turn of the year, with inquiry chairperson Margot Daly urging the CMA to reconsider the case against Apple and Google. 

The CMA is expected to reach a final decision by March 2025. 

Apple has strongly refuted the findings of the inquiry body regarding its browser eco-system, 

A statement issued to Reuters said, “We are concerned that the interventions discussed in the report for future consideration under the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act would undermine user privacy and security and hinder our ability to make the kind of technology that sets Apple apart.

Image credit: Via Ideogram

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